The characteristics of federal offenders sentenced for sexual exploitation of children within a large urban metropolitan region

This study reviewed federal court transcripts of 24 offenders sentenced for violating Title 18, United States Code (USC) § 2251 and § 2252, which included offense charges involving the sexual exploitation of children, and receipt, reproduction, production, transportation, and distribution of visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conducts; possession of child pornography; and other related federal offenses under these statutes. The offender characteristics suggest diversity within age, education, and occupations. Similar to existing research, offenders were generally white males whose offending involved some aspect of digital recording and storage. Victim ages ranged from infancy to late adolescence.