Reality TV Star Convicted For Over A Decade For Heinous Crime
One of the central figures from one of the most popular reality shows ever has been convicted to 12 years in prison for some truly heinous crimes.
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Josh Duggar, who was once the star of the reality TV show 19 Kids and Counting, has now been sentenced to 12 and a half years in prison for child pornography charges. He had apparently been facing up to 20 years in prison, but that had been reduced when one of the charges against him had been dropped. Prosecutors aimed to have the 20 years sentence be the minimum as they stated in court that Duggar has a “deep-seated, pervasive and violent sexual interest in children.” His lawyers maintained his innocence and asked the judge for only a five-year sentence after he had been convicted of these heinous crimes.
Josh Duggar was convinced in a Lafayette, Louisiana court, where it took the jury a day to come forward with the verdict to convict the man. As part of his conviction, once he is released, he will be subject to 20 years of mandated supervision. He will not be allowed to have unsupervised contact with any children, which includes his own children. He must also receive treatment for sex offenders, not be allowed to look at pornography of any kind, own a phone that has storage capacity capabilities, and be subjected to random polygraph tests as part of his treatment and supervision. Jim Bob, Josh’s Wife Anna, his sister Joy-Anna Forsyth, and brother Jason were in court during the sentencing.
19 Kids and Counting aired on TLC and followed the lives of the Duggar family. The show revolved around Jim Bob and his wife Michelle and their 19 children, which included 10 sons and nine daughters. The show had been on for seven years and was once called 17 Kinds and Counting and 18 Kids and Counting. The show has been canceled in 2015 when it had been revealed that Josh Duggar molested four of his sisters and another girl. A spinoff was devised called Counting On, which aired in December of 2015, but was canceled in 2021 when Josh had been arrested for child pornography.
The Duggar family were devout Baptists who were constantly criticized and accused of being involved in the “Quiverfull” movement. Though they denied these claims throughout the course of the show being on the air. The Quiverfull movement essentially promotes male hierarchies, subservient women, and strict family conformity. Although the family outright denied these claims, they also quoted Psalms 127:3-5. This passage is where the Quiverfull movement comes from. They were also interviewed by a Quiverfull affiliated website at one point. Jim Bob and Michelle commented after the conviction, stating, “The accusations brought against Joshua today are very serious. It is our prayer that the truth, no matter what it is, will come to light and that this will all be resolved in a timely manner.” Josh Duggar has now been convicted, so the truth has certainly come out.
Jim Bob is currently running for a vacant state senator’s seat in Arkansas currently, and there is no telling if or what the blowback will be for him considering the heinous crimes that his son has been convicted of. A charge being dropped and only 12 years in prison do not seem like enough time for a man that has been convicted of such harrowing crimes. Josh Duggar should be locked away forever for having engaged in these acts with children.
