Shutting Down the Child Exploitation Industry Through Enterprise-Based Prosecution

Abstract

As demonstrated by the success of the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (“RICO”) in response to organized crime, a more appropriate method of prosecution when handling child exploitation enterprises is one that is enterprise-focused. This method allows prosecutors to handle the increasing sophistication of technology available to these enterprises and would result in better sentencing of both the individual members and the enterprise leaders. Prosecutors have already begun to make this shift in practice but are not fully taking advantage of the tools currently available to make this change.