New Report from Sentencing Commission

The United States Sentencing Commission released a report, available here, that provides a history of the child pornography guidelines. The Sentencing Commission report is the first step in the Commission's ongoing examination of the child pornography guidelines. The report gives an overview of the child pornography guidelines over the last twenty-two years including the nine revisions to the Guidelines prompted by Congressional action. The report also notes that the Commission is engaging in a study because:

Sentencing courts have also expressed comment on the perceived severity of the child pornography guidelines through increased below-guidelines variance and downward departure rates. Consistent with the Commission’s duties to review and revise the guidelines, and the Supreme Court’s direction, the Commission has established a review of the child pornography guidelines as a priority for the amendment cycle ending May 1, 2010. This report is the first step in the Commission’s work on this priority.

Find yourself wondering where to get started in a CP case? Here is a good overview for starters. Most CP cases require trained forensic analysis because with these cases, the devil is in the details.