Jinger Duggar Vuolo Doesn't Believe Josh Has 'Truly Changed'

Trigger warning: This article contains references to the sexual abuse of children.

When news broke that Josh Duggar, the eldest son of the family made famous by TLC's hit reality show, "19 Kids and Counting," had been charged with receiving and possessing child pornography, many fans were not particularly surprised. Documents were leaked to InTouch Weekly back in 2015 that revealed Duggar had molested his sisters when he was between 14 and 15 years old (via Insider).

In his ruling on the original case, Judge Timothy Brooks stated, "Their parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, discovered the abuse but did not report it." He added, "Instead, they decided to keep it a secret and discipline Joshua privately. Unfortunately, whatever Mr. and Mrs. Duggar tried to do to stop Joshua's behavior did not work." More allegations against the former reality star subsequently came to light. 

Following a lengthy trial, Josh was found guilty and sentenced to 12 and a half years behind bars (via NPR). While certain Duggars have kept their lips sealed on Josh's crimes, Jinger Duggar Vuolo has been a consistently loud voice against her brother. Now, she's speaking out about whether or not she thinks he has moved on from his criminal past. 

Jinger Duggar Vuolo recently wrote a book entitled "Becoming Free Indeed: My Story of Disentangling Faith from Fear," in which the former reality star opened up about her super strict religious upbringing, and how she has managed to find independence after moving away from her family's home in Arkansas (via Us Weekly). In the book, Jinger also touched on the crimes committed by her older brother, Josh Duggar, and where she stands with her extended family as a result.

While promoting the book, Jinger made an appearance on "The Tamron Hall Show," where she was questioned about her feelings on the situation. When Hall asked Jinger if she believes Josh has changed following the ruling against him, she did not hold back with her answer. "My prayer for my brother would be that he would have true transformation and change that can only happen from the inside out," Jinger admitted, noting, "And only Jesus can truly change that."

She continued, "That's not something I saw in my brother, he's not truly changed." The author acknowledged she hasn't seen her brother in a long time, so she can't really comment on where Josh is at but regardless, "I would just pray that he would be truly broken over what he's done." Josh's life in prison should be sufficiently harsh enough to give him plenty of time to think, at the very least.