Norwalk Child Pornography Lawyer
Child pornography constitutes any video or photographic representation of a minor in a sexual posture. Anything that shows the child’s intimate parts that can be reasonably used for the sexual gratification of others that depicts somebody is a minor, would be considered child pornography.
Sex crime charges are taken extremely seriously in Norwalk, and law enforcement will want to prosecute these cases heavily. Accusations alone can have detrimental effects on your personal and professional life. If you are facing charges, an experienced Norwalk child pornography lawyer can help you construct a defense.
Applicable Laws
When it comes to this area of legislation, Connecticut law and federal law are consistent with each other. The only part is what constitutes a minor. The age limit may be different under Connecticut state law versus federal law, so, whether it is 16 in Connecticut law and 18 under federal law, just take that distinction aside, if it exists, and everything else is essentially the same.
The Norwalk child pornography laws include that it is prohibited to possess or transmit anything that constitutes child pornography. It is also prohibited to create the child pornography or play any role, however small, in its production. In addition, it is illegal to induce it to take place, including cases where someone encourages a minor to bare their sexual organs and take a picture of them and send it over to another person.
In those cases, where a person induced a minor to create sexual images and send it to another person or if they participated in the production of applicable materials, they can be convicted of child pornography under the existing statutes and face serious penalties.
Distinguishing Characteristics of the Offense
As a skilled attorney can attest, other sex crimes involve an act that actually has some form of human contact where there is a physical contact between the parties, whereas child pornography charges and laws in Norwalk do not involve any form of human contact. It is all either video or it is pornographic. That is the main distinction.
The primary way that child pornography is obtained or produced is through the use of online activity via exchanges over the internet in some form the things that would constitute child pornography. In contrast, sexual assaults cannot take place online. In those cases, actual physical contact must take place in order for the charge to apply.
There are, of course, a lot of ways in which people may come across child pornography in a non-intentional way because of the way that the internet site might have been set up or the way that the download of the information took place; a lot of times, it is a situation where people are trying to download regular pornographic images but downloads with it contain child pornography.
In some instances, that will obviously not only mitigate any punishment that will be given for the possession of child pornography but, in some instances, it could even negate the crime because there was no actual act that caused the pornography to be downloaded and received.
That being said, the nature of the crime of child pornography means that it does not necessarily need to have been committed online. Somebody could be guilty of possessing child pornography by simply using an old-fashioned wind-up disposable camera and taking an illicit photo that never gets online but, nevertheless, is equally as prohibited under the law.
Prevalence of Undercover Agents
The use of undercover agents in investigations is extremely prevalent and, in fact, is one of the major ways that law enforcement is able to catch and identify people that are engaging in the production, distribution, or consumption of child pornography. The way that they would do it is by posing as somebody that is underage and basically engaging with another person as though they are an underage person, all the while seeing if the other person attempts to induce the creation or dissemination of child pornography.
Much in the way that law enforcement approaches drug-related situations, police officers will set up controlled buys where somebody, a law enforcement agent, poses as a willing buyer or seller of the product. After going through the essential portions of the transaction, they will apprehend the person, essentially having completed a sting.
Work With a Norwalk Child Pornography Attorney
Child pornography cases can become extremely complex, so it is important to work with a Norwalk child pornography lawyer as soon as possible. Our team can help an individual understand the nature of the charges, the process, and what to do and what not to do and can also but help investigate the information in the case that is provided. Often in these cases, this crime occurs through online means. Call today to learn more.