As child porn sentences get harsher, a judge rebels

In his 43-year career as a federal judge, Jack B. Weinstein has come to be identified by his efforts to combat what he calls "the unnecessary cruelty of the law." His most recent crusade is particularly striking because of the beneficiary: a man who has amassed a vast collection of child pornography. [...]

There is little public sympathy for collectors of child pornography. Yet across the country, an increasing number of federal judges have come to their defense, criticizing changes to sentencing laws that have effectively quadrupled their average prison term over the past decade. [...]

Child pornography has flourished through the Internet, with federal cases growing from fewer than 100 annually to more than 1,600 last year. As the number grew, Congress increased the recommended prison terms and established a mandatory minimum sentence of five years for anyone convicted of receiving child pornography. According to the federal defenders' office, the average sentence was 91 months in 2007, up from 21 months a decade before.

source: Article 'As child porn sentences get harsher, a judge rebels' by A.G. Sulzberger; www.newsobserver.com/2010/05/22/494770/as-child-porn-sentences-get-harsher.html; NewsObserver.com; 22 May 2010