The First Amendment provides that 'Congress shall make no law... Bridging the freedom of speech, or of the press...'. The First Amendment applies, with two exceptions, to pornography and indecency, with those terms being used to refer to any words or pictures of a sexual nature. The two exceptions are obscenity and child pornography; because these are not protected by the First Amendment, they may be, and have been, made illegal. Child pornography is material that visually depicts sexual conduct by children, and is unprotected by the First Amendment even when it is not legally obscene. Federal statutes, in addition to making it a crime to transport or receive child pornography in interstate or foreign commerce, prohibit, among other things, the use of a minor in producing pornography, and provide for criminal and civil forfeiture of real and personal property used in making child pornography, and of the profits of child pornography. In addition, child pornography crimes are included among the predicate offences that may give rise to a violation of the Federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act. This book explains the laws that are currently implemented in the fight against child pornography. Also, the book goes on to discuss the various issues and problems associated with child pornography and how the American government has reacted to them.

Obscenity is not protected by the First Amendment and therefore may be banned. Other pornography or indecency may be regulated to serve compelling government interest provided that the least restrictive means available is used. Contents: Summary; Constitutional Principles; Federal Obscenity and Indecency Statues; Cable Television; The Communications Decency Act of 1996; Child Online Protection Act; Child Internet Protection Act; RICO; Wiretaps; The Customs Service Provision; Index.

The United States Sentencing Commission ("Commission") was created by Congress to "establish sentencing policies and practices for the Federal criminal justice system" that implement the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 ("SRA"),1 including the purposes of sentencing enumerated at 18 U.S.C. 3553(a)(2).2 In establishing such policies and practices, principally through the promulgation of federal sentencing guidelines and policy statements, the Commission's efforts are guided by the substantive and procedural requirements of the SRA and other congressional sentencing legislation. The SRA directs that the Commission "periodically shall review and revise, in consideration of comments and data coming to its attention, the guidelines."3 To this end, the Commission has established a review of the child pornography guidelines as a policy priority for the guidelines amendment cycle ending May 1, 2010.4 This report is the first step in the Commission's work on this priority. Congress has been particularly active over the last decade creating new offenses, increasing penalties, and issuing directives to the Commission regarding child pornography offenses. Indeed, in 2008, the 110th Congress passed three new laws amending child pornography statutes and creating a new offense for creating child pornography throughadapting or modifying a depiction of a child.5 Prompted by congressional action, and on its own initiative, the Commission has reviewed and substantively revised the child pornography guidelines nine times. This report describes the nine revisions made to the possession and trafficking in child pornography guidelines and the guidelines' relation to the requirements imposed on the Commission by related legislation and the SRA