"Far Beyond the Heartland of Depravity"

The terrific and beautifully written Blawg, Simple Justice, has an excellent consideration of the 11th Circuit's opinion in the US v. Irey a particularly disturbing child pornography case that I came across at the Orlando Sentinel last week but didn't have Scott Greenfield's presence of mind to address. 

Greenfield's Criminal Defense Blog is always insightful and his discussion of the Irey decision finely dissects problems with the many facets of the crime, the harm, the sentencing and the politics of pedophilia and child pornography and particularly the computer viewing consumers of Irey's vile images.

By way of background, William Irey (mug shot), a construction company owner is serving a 171/2 year sentence as a consequence of child pornography he created as a sex-tourist in Cambodia.  The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals held en banc (meaning the entire court, all the Judges, heard and signed on to the opinion) that the sentence was "unreasonably" short for the crimes committed by Irey which the Court described as "far beyond the heartland of depravity."  The Orlando Sentinel's coverage is at the link.