Report: Internet porn is encouraging sex offenders

by Steve Ragan - May 9 2011, 09:00

According to reports from The Telegraph and Daily Mail, research is suggesting that there is a casual link between the explosion of porn online and the twisted illegal actions of sex offenders. Except, while the topic of sexual predators and stopping them is an important one, we’re of the opinion this newly reported research could use some work.

The headlines, “Internet porn 'encourages sex offenders’” and “Psychologists warn of 'casual link' between internet porn and rise in sex offences” are sure to grab attention.

Those headlines are based on the following, as reported by The Telegraph:

“Dr Tim Jones, a senior lecturer in cognitive psychology at Worcester University and other psychologists, including Britain’s leading criminologist Prof David Wilson of Birmingham City University, carried out a research project which involved a series of interviews with a convicted paedophile known only as James at Grendon Prison, Bucks, which specialises in the therapeutic treatment of sex offenders. He is serving a 14-year sentence for multiple sex offences against children. Dr Jones said he believed that there was a “causal link” between internet pornography and sex offences.”

The whole story from The Telegraph is six paragraphs. You can read it here if you wish. Likewise, the Daily Mail story is here. Taken at face value, one might think that it takes an unknown number of interviews with a single subject to accurately study sex crimes and their relation - if any - to the Internet. It isn’t that simple. Far from it.

Sex expert Violet Blue said it best, “Personally, I think that to distort a topic this serious is criminal in itself.”

The topic of sex crimes and their relation to porn on the Internet is complex. There has been heavy debate on the topic in the scientific community since the 1990’s. This issue and the emotional pull it invokes, is compounded given that the topic includes sexual child abuse and rape.

In 2004 the National District Attorneys Association, via research arm APRI, published a study that said people who find pleasure in viewing images of children have already violated social norms with their deviant sexual interests.

“Therefore, it is not a farfetched idea that a viewer of child pornography will emulate the crimes being committed in those images. Possessing child pornography is a red flag to deviant sexual interest in children. Perpetrators should be pursued with vigilance, based on the assumption that where there is child pornography there is child abuse.”

Another study from 2010 said opposite. It reported that allowing pedophiles to view child porn actually lowered the number of reported sex crimes against them. The study examined rape as well. [Link]

These are just two examples with completely different research-based conclusions. There are hundreds of similar studies on both sides of the topic.

For additional reading, sex expert Jessi Fischer recently examined sexual addiction and science. Her thoughts are here.

No matter where researchers and doctors stand on the issue, we’re sure we’re not alone in thinking a study on sex crime focused on one subject only is completely lacking.

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