Montana Attorney General Tim Fox Looks for Support in Allowing Full Restitution to Victims of Child Pornography

Montana Attorney General Tim Fox urged the support of legislation today that would allow full restitution to victims of child pornography to pay for needed resources including therapy, medical care, lost wages and other services. Here’s Anastasia Burton with the attorney general’s office:

"So, victims of child pornography, they're constantly reminded of the abuse of their past. There's just no way to erase the photographs from the internet and you can't prevent them from being shared by others," Burton said. "But this bill provides victims with meaningful restitution from multiple defendants who produce, or distribute, or possess images of child pornography including those who haven't been identified."

In April 2014, the decision made by the U.S. Supreme Court in Paroline v. United States affirmed that victims of child pornography should receive restitution, but defendants are only liable for their actions, not the conduct of others.

"We believe providing timely restitution will ensure that numbers of victims of this crime can begin to rebuild their lives by fully recovering the financial losses caused by it," Burton said.

Child pornography is growing in the United States and according to the U.S. Sentencing Commission, cases prosecuted for possession, distribution, receipt, and transportation of child pornography increased from 624 cases in 2004 to over 2,000 cases in 2012.