Attorney General Sam Olens and 43 of his colleagues sent a letter today to the leadership of the Senate Judiciary Committee and a House Judiciary Subcommittee expressing support for the Amy and Vicky Child Pornography Victim Restitution Improvement Act of 2014 (S. 2301/H.R. 4981). The letter urges the committees to bring the bill to a vote.

The legislation would allow full restitution to victims of child pornography to pay for needed resources including therapy, medical care, lost wages and other services. 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.

“Victims of child pornography are constantly reminded of the abuse of their past, and there is no way to erase the photographs from the Internet or prevent them from being shared by others,” reads the letter. This bill “provides victims with meaningful restitution from multiple defendants who produce, distribute or possess images of child pornography, including those who have not been identified.”

“Providing timely and meaningful restitution will ensure that the growing number of victims can begin to rebuild their lives by fully recovering the financial losses caused by child pornography.”

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. With the Internet and other new technologies, child pornography is more easily attainable and has led to increased victimization and trafficking in order to meet the demand.

The letter is attached.

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