{"id":{"repo_id":"vt","oai_identifier":"oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/115200"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/vt/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/115200","repository":{"repo_id":"vt","name":"Virginia Tech","base_url":"https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request"},"display":{"title":"Perceptions of Law Enforcement Officers: Pornography as a Risk Factor for Peer-on-Peer Child Sexual Abuse","abstract":"Data on peer-on-peer child sexual demonstrates up to one-third of child sexual assaults perpetrated by other children and what the limited data suggest is that these rates are increasing. These alarming rates of sexual abuse take place alongside increased hyper-access to pornography, with the average first age of exposure at 11. Frontline workers who handle child sexual assault victims and perpetrators indicate that pornography creates a risk of sexual assault by and among children. Given that law enforcement officers will eventually see these same cases, what are their perceptions of pornography as a risk factor for peer-on-peer child sexual abuse? By interviewing law enforcement officers in the United States working directly on cases involving child sexual abuse, I examine law enforcement officer's perceptions of the connections between pornography and child sexual abuse. A sample of 11 law enforcement officers identify pornography to have a role in peer-on-peer child sexual abuse. Additionally, the sample distinguishes several differences between how pornography impacts peer-on-peer child sexual abuse versus adult-on-child sexual abuse. This study is essential given the confusion in the law and eventual prosecutions; law enforcement is struggling with legislation that does not fit the reality of the cases and results in prosecutorial issues.","abstract_html":"Data on peer-on-peer child sexual demonstrates up to one-third of child sexual assaults perpetrated by other children and what the limited data suggest is that these rates are increasing. These alarming rates of sexual abuse take place alongside increased hyper-access to pornography, with the average first age of exposure at 11. Frontline workers who handle child sexual assault victims and perpetrators indicate that pornography creates a risk of sexual assault by and among children. Given that law enforcement officers will eventually see these same cases, what are their perceptions of pornography as a risk factor for peer-on-peer child sexual abuse? By interviewing law enforcement officers in the United States working directly on cases involving child sexual abuse, I examine law enforcement officer's perceptions of the connections between pornography and child sexual abuse. A sample of 11 law enforcement officers identify pornography to have a role in peer-on-peer child sexual abuse. Additionally, the sample distinguishes several differences between how pornography impacts peer-on-peer child sexual abuse versus adult-on-child sexual abuse. This study is essential given the confusion in the law and eventual prosecutions; law enforcement is struggling with legislation that does not fit the reality of the cases and results in prosecutorial issues.","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Amabile, Gianna Sara"],"institution":"Virginia Tech","degree_name":"Master of Science","degree_level":"masters","degree_discipline":"Sociology","degree_department":"Sociology","school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":["Johnson, Jennifer Ann"],"committee_members":["Dearden, Thomas E.","Zare, Bonnie"],"year":2023,"date_issued":"2023-05-25","date_published":"2023-05-25","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:20:23Z","subjects":["pornography","child sexual abuse","law enforcement","risk factors"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["In Copyright"],"rights_urls":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:37864"],"render_values":[{"text":"vt_gsexam:37864","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"http://hdl.handle.net/10919/115200","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier.uri"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.committeechair","label":"Committee Chair","values":["Johnson, Jennifer Ann"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.committeemember","label":"Committee Member","values":["Dearden, Thomas E.","Zare, Bonnie"]},{"key":"dc:contributor.department","label":"Department","values":["Sociology"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Amabile, Gianna Sara"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.accessioned","label":"Dc Date Accessioned","values":["2023-05-26T08:00:47Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2023-05-26T08:00:47Z"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2023-05-25"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Virginia Tech"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Sociology"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["masters"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["pornography","child sexual abuse","law enforcement","risk factors"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language.iso","label":"Language (ISO)","values":["en"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["In Copyright"]},{"key":"dc:rights.uri","label":"Rights URI","values":["http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier.other","label":"Dc Identifier Other","values":["vt_gsexam:37864"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["http://hdl.handle.net/10919/115200"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Data on peer-on-peer child sexual demonstrates up to one-third of child sexual assaults perpetrated by other children and what the limited data suggest is that these rates are increasing. These alarming rates of sexual abuse take place alongside increased hyper-access to pornography, with the average first age of exposure at 11. Frontline workers who handle child sexual assault victims and perpetrators indicate that pornography creates a risk of sexual assault by and among children. Given that law enforcement officers will eventually see these same cases, what are their perceptions of pornography as a risk factor for peer-on-peer child sexual abuse? By interviewing law enforcement officers in the United States working directly on cases involving child sexual abuse, I examine law enforcement officer's perceptions of the connections between pornography and child sexual abuse. A sample of 11 law enforcement officers identify pornography to have a role in peer-on-peer child sexual abuse. Additionally, the sample distinguishes several differences between how pornography impacts peer-on-peer child sexual abuse versus adult-on-child sexual abuse. 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The findings of this study indicate the importance for future research and attention to how law enforcement and the U.S. government approach pornography as a risk factor."]},{"key":"dc:description.degree","label":"Dc Description Degree","values":["Master of Science"]},{"key":"dc:format.medium","label":"Dc Format Medium","values":["ETD"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Perceptions of Law Enforcement Officers: Pornography as a Risk Factor for Peer-on-Peer Child Sexual Abuse"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.committeechair":["Johnson, Jennifer Ann"],"dc:contributor.committeemember":["Dearden, Thomas E.","Zare, Bonnie"],"dc:contributor.department":["Sociology"],"dc:creator":["Amabile, Gianna Sara"],"dc:date.accessioned":["2023-05-26T08:00:47Z"],"dc:date.available":["2023-05-26T08:00:47Z"],"dc:date.issued":["2023-05-25"],"dc:description.abstract":["Data on peer-on-peer child sexual demonstrates up to one-third of child sexual assaults perpetrated by other children and what the limited data suggest is that these rates are increasing. 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