Berl Kutchinsky (1935 – 1995) was a Danish Professor of

Criminology Criminology (from Latin , "accusation", and Ancient Greek , ''-logia'', from λόγος ''logos'' meaning: "word, reason") is the study of crime and deviant behaviour. Criminology is an interdisciplinary field in both the behavioural and s ...

at the

University of Copenhagen The University of Copenhagen ( da, Københavns Universitet, KU) is a prestigious public university, public research university in Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark. Founded in 1479, the University of Copenhagen is the second-oldest university in ...

. He became internationally famous for his studies in the public health effects of pornography. He was based in Denmark, which in 1969 became the first country to legalize

hardcore pornography Hardcore pornography, or hardcore porn, is pornography that features detailed depictions of sexual organs or sexual acts such as vaginal, anal or oral intercourse, fingering, anilingus, ejaculation, and fetish play. The term is in contrast wi ...

Sweden followed suit in 1970, and West Germany in 1973. Kutchinsky was therefore in a unique position to study the effect of pornography on a massive scale. Over the next two decades Kutchinsky carried out extensive research into crime statistics in the three countries. His findings were that increased availability of pornography had not led to an increase in

sexual violence Sexual violence is any sexual act or attempt to obtain a sexual act by violence or coercion, act to traffic a person, or act directed against a person's sexuality, regardless of the relationship to the victim.World Health Organization., World re ...

. He found that the incidence of certain sex crimes had in fact fallen, including rates of

child sexual abuse Child sexual abuse (CSA), also called child molestation, is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include engaging in sexual activities with a child (whet ...

in Denmark. His first work on the subject, ''Studies on Pornography and sex crimes in Denmark'' (1970), was a scientific report ordered by the United States'

President's Commission on Obscenity and Pornography In 1969, the United States Supreme Court ruled in ''Stanley v. Georgia'' that people could view whatever they wished in the privacy of their own homes. In response, the United States Congress funded the President's Commission on Obscenity and Pornog ...

. It found that the legalizing of

pornography in Denmark The first country in the world to legitimize pornography was Denmark in 1967. That year, the country legalized pornographic literature. Subsequently, on July 1, 1969, Denmark became the first nation in the world to legalize pictorial and audiovisu ...

had not (as had been expected) resulted in an increase in sex crimes.Berl Kutchinsky: ''Studies on Pornography and sex crimes in Denmark''
In 1980 he helped to draft the law which banned

child pornography Child pornography (also called CP, child sexual abuse material, CSAM, child porn, or kiddie porn) is pornography that unlawfully exploits children for sexual stimulation. It may be produced with the direct involvement or sexual assault of a ...

in Denmark; after which according to him, "Child porn has largely disappeared from Denmark." Berl Kutchinsky's last book, ''Law, pornography, and crime: The Danish experience'', was edited by his colleague Annika Snare and published posthumously in 1999.

Selected works

*''Studies on Pornography and sex crimes in Denmark'' (New Social Science Monographs, Denmark 1970) *''Obscenity and Pornography: Behavioral Aspects'', In: ''Encyclopedia of Crime and Justice'', Vol. 3, pp 1077–1086 (The Free Press, Macmillan, New York 1983) *''Pornography and its Effects in Denmark and the United States: A Rejoinder and Beyond'', in: ''Comparative Social Research'', vol. 8, pp. 301–30 (JAI Press, USA 1985) *''Som hånd i hanke'', In: ''Hug'' nr. 42/43 (Tiderne Skifter, Denmark 1985) *''Big sister is watching!'', In: ''Umoralske opstød - 15 debatindlæg om s/m, pornografi og nypuritanisme'' (Juvelen, Denmark 1986) *''Legalised pornography in Denmark'', In: ''Men Confronting Pornography'', pp. 233–45, 335-6 (Crown Publishers, New York 1990) *''Pornography and rape: Theory and practice? Evidence from crime data in four countries where pornography is easily available'', In: ''International Journal of Law and Psychiatry'', vol. 14, 1991, no. 1 & 2, pp. 47–64. (1991)
''Pornography, Sex Crime and Public Policy''
(Institute of Criminology and Criminal Science, University of Copenhagen, Denmark 1991) *''Den pornografiske scene'', In: ''Social Kritik'' nr. 64, June 1999 (Selskabet til fremme af Social Debat, Denmark 1999) *''Law, pornography, and crime: The Danish experience'' (Pax Forlag, Oslo 1999)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kutchinsky, Berl Danish criminologists Pornography Social psychologists 1935 births 1995 deaths

Selected works

Further reading

References