by Jim Crawford
As a professional who has handled countless sex offense and child pornography cases throughout my career, I have observed a growing trend of these cases and have noticed certain patterns of actions from clients. One of the most prevalent decision-making patterns I have observed is the use of pornography by males starting at an early age. While some may view pornography as a topic that is out of place in this context, I believe that it fits squarely into the factors that contribute to abuse in our society. In this article, I will introduce my views about the harm caused by porn, from both an emotional and physical perspective, to tie the pieces together of my proposition, which is that this aspect of sexuality is a major component that prevents emotional growth in many males in their life journey.
The Growth of Porn and the Point of No Return
In my opinion, a deep, dark, hidden canyon exists in society, and we are all afraid to address it. I’m talking about sex offenses that permeate family structures and destroy so many lives in this country. Our society is “freer” in many ways than ever before, and the ability to “speak out” through visual depictions and sexual imagery in today’s society is abundantly prevalent. However, there are limits to this freedom, and historically, the number of sexual abuse cases reported has always been as high as it is now. Previously, it was just covered up and put in a dark corner to be forgotten.
Early in my career, as a criminal defense attorney, I started to notice certain trends in sexual offense cases. One of those trends was that in the majority of sex offense cases I’ve handled, most defendants are men who are engaged in some sort of pornography use. From a legal and personal standpoint, I believe pornography falls under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution and is guaranteed speech. I have no moral qualms with pornography in general, and I am not naïve enough to believe that it is something new in our society. However, I do have issues with the treatment and helplessness of individuals who fall prey to the industry, but that is another subject.
Pornography: A Historical Perspective
To understand my premise and philosophy, a little background is needed. Pornography was not recently invented. History shows that since the beginning of mankind, there has been some sort of proclivity toward capturing sexuality and erotica. Ancient Greece exhibited many examples of pornography, although most were basic writings with some limited visualizations. The term “pornography” is derived from the Greek language “pori,” meaning prostitute, and “graphein,” which means “to write.” Later in history, depictions of sexual behavior were many times memorialized in a religious context. Philip Jenkins, in an article published in 1998, “Mystics and Messiahs: Cults and New Religions in American History,” believes the evidence shows that although phallic imagery and depictions of orgiastic scenes existed for centuries, they probably did not fulfill the modern psychological functions of pornography as used today. In other words, they were treated and looked upon differently, not just for sexual arousal, but for other moral or religious purposes.
The current culture and historical use of pornography shows deep roots in the Enlightenment period of the eighteenth century because printing techniques became advanced enough to promote visual materials, such as drawings, as well as written materials. Many people believe that the widely read classic “Fanny Hill,” referred to as Memoirs of a Woman of Pleasure (1748), was the first true pornographic Western production. The Victorian age, with its purported adherence to family values, nonetheless had a dark underbelly of sexually explicit productions, especially in Great Britain. A central location for these publications and productions was a street in London known as Holywell Street. The smut booksellers who operated there are equivalent to today’s modern-day porn shops. There were many of them!
