Child Pornography: - Center for Problem-Oriented Policing

The Child Pornographer:
Consumer, Collector, Producer
Preferential sex offenders, who are currently the primary exploiters of children, 26 often take
pictures, films, and videotapes of the children they molest. Such offenders may maintain
homemade child-pornography collections documenting the children with whom they are
involved, and they may also sell or trade such images. 27 Their collections may include videotapes,
regular and instant photographs, or even clippings from department-store catalogs (e.g.,
children modeling underwear) that serve as child erotica. 28 Homemade child-pornography
collections may not require outside developing but can be produced and reproduced in high
quality and quantity. 29
A US Postal Inspection Service anti-child pornography program reports that at least 35
percent of cases involving 595 individuals arrested since 1997 for using the mail to sexually
exploit children were active abusers. 30 Many such child sex offenders collect child pornography
falling into the five basic types noted below. 31
• a closet collector denies any sexual involvement with children and conceals any
child-pornographic materials. 32 There is no acknowledged communication with other
collectors, and the material is usually purchased discreetly through commercial
channels. 33
• "traders," as identified by some law-enforcement officials, do communicate with
other collectors and trade child pornography but there is no indication of actual
victims. 34
• an isolated collector sexually abuses children in addition to collecting child
pornography. 35 An isolated collector conceals his or her activities to avoid detection
by law enforcement. 36 Such a collector compiles his materials by either purchasing
child pornography commercially or producing his own by sexually abusing children. 37
• a cottage collector sexually exploits children and shares his or her child-pornography
collection with other collectors. 38 A cottage collector does not necessarily have an
interest in gaining financially from the collection. 39
• a commercial collector produces, copies, and profits through sales of a collection. 40
Regardless of the type of collector, the possibility that a child-pornography collector is
sexually abusing children, or that a child sex offender is also collecting child pornography,
should be seriously investigated. 41
Collections maintained by preferential sex offenders generally have the common characteristics
noted below. 42
• a collection is highly important to an offender. 43 The offender will spend a significant
amount of time and money on maintaining the collection. 44
• an offender's collection is constantly growing because he feels the collection is not
sufficient and that there is always more child pornography to collect. 45
• an offender maintains the collection in a neat and orderly manner. 46 Collectors
increasingly use computers to assist with the organization. 47
• a collection is a permanent fixture in an offender's life and will be moved or hidden if
he believes he is under investigation. 48
• an offender almost never destroys a collection. 49
4 - CHILD PORNOGRAPHY: THE CRIMINAL-JUSTICE-SYSTEM RESPONSE