Erotica and the sexual offender: the importance of restricting sex offenders from using or possessing erotica and pornography

The Courts are struggling with issues of civil liberty in regards to sexual offenders. The rights of sexual offenders to possess pornography or erotica is of utmost concern. When an individual’s erotica has become intertwined in sex offense or other violent behavior, the erotica has now become part of the offender’s violent fantasies and behavior. The offender should no longer have access to or possession of any erotica that involves the offender’s offense behavior or target victim population. This has become an issue of constitutional rights and even some in the sex offender treatment profession fail to see the connection. For the Courts, this is an important issue to rethink when imposing probation, parole, or other restrictions on the sex offender. What follows is a discussion of the importance of restricting sex offenders from accessing or possessing any erotica or pornography that is related in any way to their sexual offense behavior or other violent crime.