British Think-Tank Proposes Not Prosecuting Pedophiles For Viewing Child Pornography

A British think-tank has issued a 132 page report advocating for not prosecuting pedophiles for viewing child pornography and abuse videos online, with the support of the new Victims’ Commissioner Dame Vera Baird.

The report from the think-tank Justice, overseen by retired judge Peter Rook, advocates for treating people who view, and thus support the creation of, child pornography with a “holistic approach.”

The group believes that there are just too many sexual offenders for the courts to keep up, so they are advocating for having first time offenders simply take classes for “education, prevention and effective rehabilitation.” The workshops would be five sessions, up to 90 minutes each, over four months — and one follow-up session after eight months. They referred to this plan as a “deferred prosecution scheme.”

“At a time where sexual offence allegations are putting the criminal justice system under increased strain and causing distress to victims, it is particularly important to not only ensure that procedures are efficient but also to identify ways to stop sexual offending occurring in the first place,” Andrea Coomber, director of Justice, said. “This report highlights the need for a holistic approach to sexual offences that encompasses education, prevention and effective rehabilitation.”

According to a report from the Daily Mail, police in the UK investigate approximately 1,000 cases of pedophiles viewing child abuse images each month. Last year there was also a record 159,740 rapes and sex attacks were reported — up from 52,166 in 2008.

Peter Saunders, from the National Association of People Abused in Childhood highly disagrees with the suggestions in the report. He asked the Mail, “why would we consider not prosecuting some of the most vile criminals in society just because we can’t cope with the numbers?”

“In April, the Sun on Sunday revealed police have let off more than 1,000 perverts with just a slap on the wrist,” the Sun noted in their report.

 

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