Convicted Boy Scout Safety Director Freed from Federal Prison for Possession of Child Pornography

The man who was in charge of Boy Scout safety on a national level has been released from prison after spending seven years behind bars after being convicted of possessing hundreds of images and videos of child pornography on his computer.

In our Kerry Lewis case in 2010, Smith was a key witness. Here is a link to his deposition testimony, taken by my co-counsel Paul Mones.

Douglas Sovereign Smith Jr., the BSA’s former national director for youth protection, leaves prison a convicted sex offender who will have to report to a probation officer for the remainder of his life and is prohibited from accessing the internet, using a smart phone or camera.

It’s difficult to fathom the depth of the institutional problem the Boy Scouts face until one is reminded that their own national safety director was convicted of possessing images of prepubescent boys in sexual acts. While the Boy Scouts have tried to distance themselves from this particular case, it’s hard to imagine how this doesn’t directly reflect on the institution as a whole.