Pedophilia Defined

While pedophilia is not in and of itself a Federal crime in the United States, if this psychiatric disorder causes a person to commit such crimes as child abuse or the acquisition of child pornography, then a pedophile may be subject to arrest and punishment by U.S. Federal authorities. As such, the legal language concerning pedophilia-related crimes can be located in Title 18 of the United States Code (U.S.C.), the comprehensive and officially accepted collection of U.S. Federal statutes.

18 U.S.C. 2251-2260 involve the creation and possession of child pornography and related sexual abuse of minors, as represents a frequent manifestation of pedophilia. Sections 2253 and 2254 allow forfeiture, respectively under criminal and civil law, of pedophile-related pornography. 2259 requires compensation to the subjects of pedophile pornography. 18 U.S.C. §§2241-2248 pertain to the punishment of pedophile offenders, according to whether they use violent force and their victim’s age.