A Look at Child Pornography Cases
Some of the most serious crimes in the eyes of Harris County prosecutors are those that victimize children. The possession of child pornography is one such crime with severe penalties for individuals convicted of it. A person accused of possessing child pornography not only faces the criminal justice system, but also the disdain of the public. Further, the reputational harm caused by an allegation of possessing child pornography may not go away, even if the person is found to be not guilty. Texas’ Statute Under Texas law, possession of child pornography is committed if a person knowingly or intentionally possesses, or knowingly or intentionally accesses with the intent to view, material that visually depicts a child under the age of 18 at the time the image was made who is engaging in sexual conduct. In addition, the person must know that the material depicts the child as described above. The definition of sexual conduct is broad. It includes actual or simulated sexual intercourse, deviant sexual intercourse, sexual bestiality, masturbation, or the lewd exhibition of the genitals, which includes the female breast. Visual material is defined as any film, photograph, videotape, negative, or slide or any photographic reproduction that contains or incorporates in any manner any of these. Additionally, it includes any disk, diskette, or other physical medium that allows an image to be displayed on a computer or other video screen and any image transmitted to a computer or video screen by phone line, cable, satellite, or other method. Possession […]