Author John Grisham has apologized for comments he made regarding child pornography during an interview with the Telegraph.
Grisham claimed that the United States is wrongly convicting too many men for viewing child pornography. He said that many of them simply had too much to drink, started surfing the web, and accidentally stumbled upon pictures of children.
“We have prisons now filled with guys my age. Sixty-year-old white men in prison who’ve never harmed anybody, would never touch a child,” he said while promoting his new book Gray Mountain.
“But they got online one night and started surfing around, probably had too much to drink or whatever, and pushed the wrong buttons, went too far and got into child porn,” the best-selling novelist added.
To get his point across, Grisham referenced his good friend from law school, explaining that this is what happened to him and he was sentenced to three years in prison.
Somebody bet John Grisham that he couldn't say something that was creepy, sexist, and racist all in one comment and Grisham won the bet.
— JRehling (@JRehling) October 16, 2014
“His drinking was out of control, and he went to a website. It was labelled ‘sixteen year old wannabee hookers or something like that’. And it said ’16-year-old girls’. So he went there. Downloaded some stuff – it was 16 year old girls who looked 30,” Grisham explained.
Thank you John Grisham for reminding me why many 60 year old white guys need to be locked up
— Boo Urps (@UrplePingo) October 16, 2014
“He shouldn’t ’a done it. It was stupid, but it wasn’t 10-year-old boys,” he added. “He didn’t touch anything. And God, a week later there was a knock on the door: ‘FBI!’ and it was sting set up by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to catch people – sex offenders – and he went to prison for three years.”
To be fair to John Grisham, he probably just misspoke. It's not like expressing thoughts via words is his job or anything.
— Neuroskeptic (@Neuro_Skeptic) October 16, 2014
On Thursday, October 16, Grisham issued an apology , via a statement from his publisher Random House. According to the statement, Grisham’s comments “were in no way intended to show sympathy for those convicted of sex crimes, especially the sexual molestation of children.”
Please don't judge me. I once read a #JohnGrisham book. I was drunk & stumbled across it by accident while searching *John Grisham books*
— Nicole Brown (@cprsmum) October 16, 2014
He said that anyone who participates in child pornography should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. “I can think of nothing more despicable,” he said. “I regret having made these comments, and apologize to all.”
What do you think about Grisham’s remarks? Leave your comments below.