John Grisham lost a few fans this week when he said that the sentences for viewing child pornography were too stiff.
In an interview with the Telegraph, the author said that people who view child pornography should be treated different than people who actually molest children. According to the author, some of the people (60-year-old white men) are completely harmless and would never actually touch a child.
Grisham said: “We have prisons now filled with guys my age, 60-year-old white men, in prison, who’ve never harmed anybody (and) would never touch a child … But they got online one night and started surfing around, probably had too much to drink or whatever, and pushed the wrong buttons and went too far and got into child porn. … They deserve some type of punishment, but 10 years in prison? There’s so many of them now, sex offenders … that they put them in the same prison, like they’re a bunch of perverts or something.”
The author experienced a major backlash after his comments were published, and some fans vowed to never buy another Grisham novel.
And the fact I’ve never read a John Grisham book is a point of pride today.
— Veronica (@veronicaeye) October 16, 2014
Grisham specifies ’60 year old white men’ bc he thinks these are indications of innocence
— Becka SH (@beckashed) October 16, 2014
John Grisham criticized harsh sentences for older men who look at child pornography. In other news, John Grisham looks at child pornography.
— Max Reisman (@Max_Reisman) October 16, 2014
The author, either fearful that his sales would drop or genuinely regretful about his comments, issued a statement today on his Facebook page.
The author writes: “Anyone who harms a child for profit or pleasure, or who in any way participates in child pornography—online or otherwise—should be punished to the fullest extent of the law. My comments made two days ago during an interview with the British newspaper “The Telegraph” were in no way intended to show sympathy for those convicted of sex crimes, especially the sexual molestation of children. I can think of nothing more despicable. I regret having made these comments, and apologize to all.”
[Image Via Wiki]
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