Wisconsin takes child pornography charges seriously and does not often grant leniency to those who have been accused of these types of crimes. A conviction of this nature can affect every aspect of your life, including where you live, who will hire you, and who will associate with you. It is important to fight these charges as aggressively as possible.

The Wisconsin Child Pornography Possession Law

Under Wisconsin law, possession of child pornography is defined as possessing or accessing any material depicting a child engaging in sexually explicit conduct. The law requires that the accused have the intent to view such an image. The law applies to any developed or undeveloped film, photographic negatives, photographs, motion pictures, videotapes, or other recordings. 

The law specifies that the accused must: 

By Raymond Dall’Osto and Christopher Strohbehn

After working in the Wisconsin criminal justice field for the past 40 years, I have learned a great deal. For one, the populations of state and federal prisons have increased from 250,000 to 1,500,000 during that time, even though the overall crime rate has decreased substantially. In 2010, there were 186,000 inmates in federal prisons, 98,000 of whom were incarcerated for drug crimes. When I began practicing law, the state of Wisconsin had fewer than 4,000 inmates in prison, but the number of inmates is now more than 20,000. Even though the crime rate has decreased, the U.S. continues to lead the world in the rate of people who are incarcerated. Many of us wonder how our society has reached this point and what can be done to fix the problem.

Harsh mandatory minimum sentence laws, increased sentence structures for felony offenses, and longer sentences being imposed by judges have all led to over-incarceration. Additional factors include the unavailability of parole or the elimination of programs providing early release for prisoners with good behavior or who have successfully completed treatment.

By Ray Dall’Osto

After laboring in the criminal justice field in Wisconsin for forty years, what have I learned? First, that the state and federal prison populations have grown from 250,000 to 1,500,000 in that time period, yet overall, crime rates are substantially down. Of the 186,000 federal prison inmates in 2010, 98,000 were in prison for drug offenses. When I first started to practice, there were less than 4,000 prison inmates in Wisconsin, and now that number is consistently over 20,000. While crime rates have gone down, the United States remains the world leader in rates of incarceration. What is wrong with this picture? How have we as a society ended up here? What can be done?

Harsh sentencing laws such as mandatory minimums, sharp increases in felony sentence structures, and judges handing down longer prison sentences, combined with the elimination of parole and early release programs for good behavior and successful treatment completion, has created this over-incarceration morass. 

The term “white collar crime” was coined in the 1930s to describe a legal violation by a “person of respectability and high social status” made in the course of their work. Since then, white collar crimes have grown in number and complexity, and they typically involve nonviolent criminal activity that is committed for financial gain. These crimes are often committed in commercial or business situations.

Because of the ever-increasing complexity that white collar crimes present, those accused of these types of criminal charges should be represented by an attorney who knows how financial institutions work. The practices of banks, accountants, lending agencies, and taxing authorities are often at the center of white collar cases. In addition, there are various agencies that may be involved in the investigation of any sort of alleged white collar crime, including state attorneys general, the FBI, or the SEC. 

Some common white collar crimes include:

Criminal accusations, investigations, and arrests will have massive, far-reaching implications for anyone who is charged with a crime. However, some types of sensitive crimes can be even more serious since they will affect a person’s freedom, reputation, relationships with friends and family, their career, and his or her standing in the community. 

Sexual assault is one of the most severe crimes with which a person can be charged, and a conviction is likely to result in lengthy jail time and significant fines, as well as the requirement to register as a sex offender for at least 15 years, and possibly for life. If you are facing accusations of sexual assault, it is important to understand the specific charges and their potential punishments.

Degrees of Sexual Assault in Wisconsin

Wisconsin law identifies four degrees of sexual assault: