Words That Carry Weight

Messages of Reprimand Delivered by Judicial Officers in Child Sexual Abuse Material Cases

Bibliographic Data

ID12465610
AuthorsLarissa S Christensen (0000-0003-3852-3686, University of the Sunshine Coast, corresponding author), Joanne Astle (University of the Sunshine Coast), Jodie Woods (0009-0001-4654-7322, University of the Sunshine Coast), George S Tsagaris (0000-0002-1056-1069, Cleveland State University)
Year2025
Publication date2025-10-06
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueSexuality & Culture (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1095-5143 • E-ISSN: 1936-4822
PublisherSpringer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1007/s12119-025-10453-x
OpenAlexW4414841534
LanguageEN
References cited49

Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) offending is a very serious crime, with long-term impacts on its victims. However, prior research indicates some clear disjuncture between public attitudes on the severity of this offending and the law. Such attitudes are problematic, particularly in potentially initiating and maintaining CSAM offending. There is a great need and value to tackle such attitudes, and utilizing sentencing remarks appears to be one educative vehicle for providing the public with messaging about the harms of this offending. While sentencing remarks delivered by the judiciary offer a rigorous form of data, they are rarely examined in research. Therefore, this research proposes to examine the key messages within the reprimand communicated by the judiciary for offenders convicted of CSAM offenses, allowing for a nuanced exploration of how censure is delivered to the offender and wider community. The study used the sentencing remarks of CSAM convictions from January 1, 2011 to April 30, 2020 in one jurisdiction of Australia (46 cases, each with one offender). A qualitative descriptive design was adopted, and data was analyzed using an inductive content analysis. Two themes were identified: (1) contributing to market demand; and (2) the harm extends beyond the offending. Theme two had several sub-themes: the circumstances beyond the abusive experience; additional impacts from circulation; and impacts on professionals involved in the investigations and judicial proceedings. We offer insights, including ideas for future research, to assist with understanding and preventing CSAM offending and reducing its associated impacts

Child sexual abuse · Harm · Jurisdiction · Punishment (psychology · Qualitative research · Sexual abuse · Suicide prevention · Theme (computing · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Human Factors and Ergonomics · Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending · Stalking, Cyberstalking, and Harassment

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