A close friend of mine was recently imprisoned for child pornography charges for possession and solicitation of pictures of a 14 year old girl. He was sentence to 10 years (30 - 20 suspended) and is eligible for parole in 20 months. The development of the relationship was primarily spurred by a failing marriage and at the time undiagnosed Asperger's syndrome. In retrospect it seems legal council was rather inadequate. The prosecution and the judge disregarded any mitigating factors (as they always do for men). This particular prosecutor and judge target young men charged with any sex offense with excessive sentencing and always bully them into plea deals. Evidence of this is clear in a large number of recent cases, such as one in particular involving a woman sentenced to 30 days in jail for a rape charge contrasted with a man charged with two counts of rape who got 50 years.

Unfortunately a plea bargain (taken on the advice of counsel) for 10 years was taken, voiding the right to appeal. I don't disagree that the law was broken, but the sentencing was quite extreme in the opinion of everyone who knows him. Furthermore the law does not differentiate between child and adolescent images, which are quite different when viewed in terms of ethics, consent or morals.

I'm looking for any support: legal, psychological, friendly, or just plain standing behind him. Right now I'm just trying to feel out the general attitude. If it goes well I'll post more details. If you feel you can provide any support at all, let me know and I'll provide details. Any support is appreciated. Thank you.