Attorney General Alan Wilson applauds Senate for unanimously passing S.723 which strengthens penalties for child exploitation

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) –South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson made the following statement applauding the Senate for unanimously passing S.723.

“I want to thank the Senate for unanimously voting to strengthen the penalties for those who create and distribute Child Sexual Abuse Material. This vote today proves what I've said all along. This is not political. This is about the moral obligation we have to put children first. I'm hopeful the House of Representatives will pass this critically important bill quickly so we can work with law enforcement and prosecutors to hold these dangerous offenders accountable.”

The bill would raise the mandatory minimum sentences for creating and distributing Child Sexual Abuse Material, create new mandatory minimum tiered sentencing for possessing CSAM, with longer sentences for possessing more images or videos, and would establish a mandatory minimum sentence of five years for any registered sex offender found guilty of possessing CSAM.