Anna Duggar Forwarded Josh Duggar Message Calling His Crime ‘Victimless' and Prison Sentence ‘Ridiculous'
Anna Duggar seems to be standing by her husband Josh Duggar while he's incarcerated.
In 2021, Josh was convicted of possessing child sexual abuse material and sentenced to over 12 years in prison.
In an email Anna sent to Josh in 2022 and recently obtained by People, the mom-of-seven forwarded her husband a message from a friend who claimed his conviction and sentencing was a failure of the justice system.
"I just can't even wrap my mind around this system of ours," the message read. "[W]hat purpose does it serve to put a citizen away for that long, especially for a crime that was actually victimless?"
According to an investigation by Homeland Security, Josh created a "password-protected partition" on his computer to download the illegal content multiple times in 2019.
Homeland Security agent Gerald Faulkner testified at Josh's sentencing hearing and called one of the videos Josh downloaded among the "top five worst of the worst" he had ever seen in his career.
RELATED: Josh Duggar Allegedly Being Held in Solitary Confinement, Prison Sentence Extended
"I am incensed by the ridiculousness of it ALL," the message added, calling the sentence "absolutely crazy."
The writer of the message also said they could not understand why a "productive member of society, a business owner, a father, a husband, a taxpayer" would be sent away to prison when "our society NEEDS these far more desperately than it needs more prisoners."
The Department of Justice has long refuted the idea that child sexual abuse material is a victimless crime, explaining that it often "results in the continued abuse and exploitation of child victims, and the abuse of new children every day."
"When these images and videos are posted and disseminated online, the victimization continues in perpetuity," the DOJ added. "Children often suffer a lifetime of re-victimization knowing the documentation of their sexual abuse is on the internet, available for others to access forever."
RELATED: Kendra Duggar's Parents Break Silence on Son-in-Law Joseph Duggar's Arrest
Josh's release from prison was originally scheduled for August 2032, however, it has been pushed back three times.
Us Weekly confirmed last month that Josh's new release date is Feb. 2, 2033. It is unknown what exactly caused his release date to be pushed back.
The extension of Josh's sentence comes at the same time that his fourth and final appeal of his conviction is working its way through the courts.
If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org.
Copyright 2026 The Arena Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved
This story was originally published May 4, 2026 at 12:31 PM.