When Is Josh Duggar's Prison Sentencing?

In December 2021, Josh Duggar was convicted of receiving and possessing child pornography, although he pleaded not guilty to all charges, as per NBC News. Prosecutors claimed that the reality television star used a secret, password-protected partition on his work computer to download and store child pornography files. They provided evidence of the downloads corresponding to times when Josh was present at work. His activities were found to be a part of an already-ongoing investigation into a larger, private file-sharing program. The defense, on the other hand, argued that someone else gained access to Josh's computer and hacked into the secret program to download the material and potentially frame him. They have since been working to overturn the verdict.

Following the guilty verdict, a source close to the family told InTouch that the Duggar family has been "torn apart" by the trial and conviction. Some members of the Duggar family, known for their TLC reality show "19 Kids and Counting," have also spoken out about the situation. Josh's parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, said in a statement that the "entire ordeal has been very grievous," adding, "our hearts and prayers are with anyone who has ever been harmed through [child sexual abuse material]." Derick Dillard, who is married to Josh's sister Jill Dillard, posted on Twitter ahead of the verdict on December 8 that he was "praying for justice." The ordeal isn't over yet, however, as Josh still faces a sentencing hearing.

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.

On February 15, a court docket revealed that Josh Duggar's sentencing hearing has been set for April 5, per People. At the sentencing, a judge will determine if the "19 Kids and Counting" star will serve up to 20 years in prison or pay a fine of up to $250,000 for the crime of knowing receipt of child pornography. In the meantime, the Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported that Josh will be held in custody at the Washington County Detention Center. In these cases, it is mandatory for convicted individuals to await their sentencing hearings in jail.

Following the December 2021 conviction, Duggar's attorneys filed an appeal with the courts, according to People. They claimed that the judge should either grant a new trial or throw out the guilty conviction, saying, "The evidence elicited at trial does not support a conviction on either count." Duggar's defense team also alleged that "the jury had no evidence that Duggar personally viewed ... the files allegedly found on the computer." In response to this request, the prosecution argued that it was not necessary to prove that Duggar viewed the files in order to convict him, as per The Sun. Their role was "to prove that he knew the material was of minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct," which they claim they did.