For Immediate Release
CONTACT: Catherine Hazelton
(916) 319-2044 or (626) 665-8922
October 3, 2002
Sacramento – Assemblymember Carol Liu announced today that she plans to introduce legislation allowing judges to issue stiffer penalties to people possessing child pornography. Current law only allows prosecutors to charge one misdemeanor count to a first time offender, regardless of the quantity or nature of the child pornography in their possession. Subsequent arrests can be charged as a felony, but only one count. “Even if a suspect is found to possess hundreds of items depicting multiple sex acts with different children, we can only charge them with one misdemeanor,” said Liu. “Children deserve better protection than that.”
Previous legislative attempts to change the first offense of possession of child pornography to a felony have failed. Liu plans to take a different approach in order to get a bill through the legislative process successfully. She is considering options including authorizing a felony charge or the charge of multiple misdemeanors on a first offense if the suspect possesses pornographic material depicting multiple acts with different children. “I’m willing to consider any practical approach to this problem. We’ve got to fight back against child abusers and pornographers.”
Liu began developing legislative proposals after being approached by a San Gabriel Valley prosecutor who expressed frustration that he could not charge a suspected child molester in possession of large quantities of child pornography with more than one misdemeanor. She plans to introduce the bill in December when the new legislative session begins.
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