Virginia internet task force calls for tougher sentences

As detailed in articles here and here, yesterday a group led by Virginia's attorney general studying how to keep the internet safe for kids, the Youth Internet Safety Task Force, produced "a 100-page report that included 25 specific proposals from law-enforcement officials, technology experts, parents and educators who met during the past six months."  The full report can be accessed at this link, and here are some of its law enforcement recommendations:

1. Amend Virginia Code §18.2-374.1 to include statutory and mandatory minimum sentences for production and financing of child pornography.

2. Amend Virginia Code §18.2-374.3 to include statutory and mandatory minimum sentences for online solicitation of children. These mandatory minimums should be bifurcated for offenses involving child victims below 15 years of age and those involving children 15 to 18 years of age.

3. Amend Virginia Code §18.2-374.3 to prohibit sexual solicitations of children ages 15-18. The age of the victim and the age of the offender in relation to the victim should be the determining factors for mandatory minimum sentences.