A new measure that would allow judges to establish more severe sentencing for individuals found guilty of possessing child pornography is making its way through the Pennsylvania House.

HB 321, which passed in the state House in a near-unanimous 195-0 vote (six representatives were absent for the vote) would allow judges to enhance sentences for those convicted of possessing child pornography based on what the bill calls "aggravating circumstances."

In other words, a judge could increase a sentence based on the age of the child depicted in the pornography, the number of images possessed by the defendant and the "nature and character" of the abuse depicted in the images.

This bill comes on the heels of recent child porn possession charges in Media and Phoenixville.

Patch wants to know: should judges be allowed to assign harsher sentences for a person found guilty of possessing child porn based on the type and amount of porn found? Or should there be a single statute that is applied to all, regardless of the amount or nature of the pornography? Let us know what you think in the comments below.