Online communication capabilities have increased the opportunity for criminals to make connections of a sexual nature with children. Virginia has tough criminal laws and sanctions for such crimes such as child pornography and solicitation of minors.
Undoubtedly, online communication capabilities via computers, tablets and cellular phones have greatly increased the opportunity for criminals to make connections of a sexual nature with children and adolescents. In response, government authorities have had to expand their investigative techniques and legislatures have clarified and strengthened their criminal laws to crack down on such activity.
The commonwealth of Virginia is no exception with its tough criminal laws and sanctions for such crimes. Virginia online sex crimes concerning child pornography and solicitation of minors are examples.
Online child pornography crimes
It is a crime in Virginia to produce, reproduce, possess or distribute child pornography, including on a computer or online, or to operate a website that charges money to view child pornography. Prison terms for child porn crimes are stiff and longer if the subject is under 15, if the defendant is at least seven years older than the victim, or if the offense is a second or subsequent violation.
However, the length of imprisonment can get much longer because of three aspects of the law:
- Multiple counts can be charged based on multiple images. For example, the child porn production statute includes a definition of the illegal visual material as being three or more images or videos in a temporary Internet cache, or one visual representation that depicts certain more serious sexual images. Obviously, a high number of images could generate multiple charges and each one has its own prison sentence. ..Continued.. by Timothy J. Quick, P.C.
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