Proof Positive: Pornography in a Day-Care Center

Abstract

While disclosures about pornography often surface in sexual abuse investigations at day-care centers, the pornography itself rarely materializes. Thus, the validity of such allegations is minimized, along with victim credibility. Fortunately, however, not every attempt to recover child pornography at a day-care center has been futile. We present herein a strikingly well-documented case (Alicia's Preschool) in which the pornography (over 3000 slides) was recovered, the defendant was tried and convicted, and the victims were successful in a civil lawsuit. The data for this project were drawn from 24,000 pages of archival records, including the extant files of Alicia's Preschool, the police records, the pornographic slides, the criminal trial transcript, the psychiatric evaluations, the civil lawsuit documents, and expert depositions. The psychological and legal ramifications of this case are also elaborated