SB 145, Pavley. Sex offenders: child pornography.
(1) Existing law makes it a crime for a person, with knowledge that another person is a minor, to knowingly distribute, send, cause to be sent, exhibit, or offer to distribute or exhibit by electronic mail or the Internet any harmful matter, as defined, to a minor with the intent of arousing, appealing to, or gratifying the lust or passions or sexual desires of that person or the minor, and with the intent or the purpose of seducing a minor.
This bill would instead make it a misdemeanor or a felony for every person who knows, should have known, or believes that another person is a minor to distribute or exhibit harmful matter, as defined, depicting a minor or minors engaging in sexual conduct, with the intent of arousing, appealing to, or gratifying the lust or passions or sexual desires of that person or of a minor, and with the intent or for the purpose of engaging in sexual intercourse, sodomy, oral copulation, or with the intent that either person touch an intimate body part of the other. The bill would make a violation of these provisions punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or in the state prison for 2, 3, or 5 years.
If the matter used was harmful matter, as defined, but does not include a depiction of a minor engaged in sexual conduct, the bill would make a violation of these provisions punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or in the state prison for 16 months, or 2 or 3 years.
By increasing the punishment for a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
(2) Existing law makes it a felony, punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months, or 2 or 3 years, or in a county jail for up to one year, or by a fine not exceeding $2,500, or by both the fine and imprisonment, to knowingly possess or control child pornography, as specified.
The bill would make it either a felony, punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months, or 2 or 5 years, or a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment in a county jail for up to one year, or by a fine not exceeding $2,500, or by both the fine and imprisonment, if the person knowingly possesses or controls child pornography, as specified, and the matter contains more than 600 images, as defined, at least 10 of which are images of prepubescent minors or minors under 12 years of age; or the matter portrays sexual sadism or sexual masochism involving a minor, as defined.
This bill would make other technical, nonsubstantive, and conforming changes.
Existing law, Proposition 83, as approved by the voters at the November 7, 2006, statewide general election, amended Section 311.11 of the Penal Code. The act authorizes the Legislature to amend its provisions to expand the scope of its application or to increase the punishments or penalties established by the act by a statute passed by a majority vote of each house thereof.
Because the bill would increase punishments provided in the act, the bill may be passed by a majority vote of each house of the Legislature.
Because a violation of the provisions would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 288.2 of the Penal Code is repealed.
Section 288.2 is added to the Penal Code, to read:
(a) (1) Every person who knows, should have known, or believes that another person is a minor, and who knowingly distributes, sends, causes to be sent, exhibits, or offers to distribute or exhibit by any means, including by physical delivery, telephone, electronic communication, or in person, any harmful matter that depicts a minor or minors engaging in sexual conduct, to the other person with the intent of arousing, appealing to, or gratifying the lust or passions or sexual desires of that person or of the minor, and with the intent or for the purposes of engaging in sexual intercourse, sodomy, or oral copulation with the other person, or with the intent that either person touch an intimate body part of the other, is guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or is guilty of a felony, punishable by imprisonment in the state prison for two, three, or five years.
(2) If the matter used by the person is harmful matter but does not include a depiction or depictions of a minor or minors engaged in sexual conduct, the offense is punishable by imprisonment in a county jail not exceeding one year, or by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months, or two or three years.
(3) For purposes of this subdivision, the offense described in paragraph (2) shall include all of the elements described in paragraph (1), except as to the element modified in paragraph (2).
(b) For purposes of this section, “sexual conduct” has the same meaning as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 311.4.
(c) For purposes of this section, “harmful matter” has the same meaning as defined in Section 313.
(d) For purposes of this section, an intimate body part includes the sexual organ, anus, groin, or buttocks of any person, or the breasts of a female.
(e) Prosecution under this section shall not preclude prosecution under any other provision of law.
(f) It shall be a defense to any prosecution under this section that a parent or guardian committed the act charged in aid of legitimate sex education.
(g) It shall be a defense in any prosecution under this section that the act charged was committed in aid of legitimate scientific or educational purposes.
(h) It does not constitute a violation of this section for a telephone corporation, as defined in Section 234 of the Public Utilities Code, a cable television company franchised pursuant to Section 53066 of the Government Code, or any of its affiliates, an Internet service provider, or commercial online service provider, to carry, broadcast, or transmit messages described in this section or perform related activities in providing telephone, cable television, Internet, or commercial online services.
Section 311.11 of the Penal Code is amended to read:
(a) Every person who knowingly possesses or controls any matter, representation of information, data, or image, including, but not limited to, any film, filmstrip, photograph, negative, slide, photocopy, videotape, video laser disc, computer hardware, computer software, computer floppy disc, data storage media, CD-ROM, or computer-generated equipment or any other computer-generated image that contains or incorporates in any manner, any film or filmstrip, the production of which involves the use of a person under 18 years of age, knowing that the matter depicts a person under 18 years of age personally engaging in or simulating sexual conduct, as defined in subdivision (d) of Section 311.4, is guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison, or a county jail for up to one year, or by a fine not exceeding two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500), or by both the fine and imprisonment.
(b) Every person who commits a violation of subdivision (a), and who has been previously convicted of a violation of this section, an offense requiring registration under the Sex Offender Registration Act, or an attempt to commit any of the above-mentioned offenses, is guilty of a felony and shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for two, four, or six years.
(c) Each person who commits a violation of subdivision (a) shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for 16 months, or two or five years, or shall be punished by imprisonment in a county jail for up to one year, or by a fine not exceeding two thousand five hundred dollars ($2,500), or by both the fine and imprisonment, if one of the following factors exists:
(1) The matter contains more than 600 images that violate subdivision (a), and the matter contains 10 or more images involving a prepubescent minor or a minor who has not attained 12 years of age.
(2) The matter portrays sexual sadism or sexual masochism involving a person under 18 years of age. For purposes of this section, “sexual sadism” means the intentional infliction of pain for purposes of sexual gratification or stimulation. For purposes of this section, “sexual masochism” means intentionally experiencing pain for purposes of sexual gratification or stimulation.
(d) It is not necessary to prove that the matter is obscene in order to establish a violation of this section.
(e) This section does not apply to drawings, figurines, statues, or any film rated by the Motion Picture Association of America, nor does it apply to live or recorded telephone messages when transmitted, disseminated, or distributed as part of a commercial transaction.
(f) For purposes of determining the number of images under paragraph (1) of subdivision (c), the following shall apply:
(1) Each photograph, picture, computer, or computer-generated image, or any similar visual depiction shall be considered to be one image.
(2) Each video, video-clip, movie, or similar visual depiction shall be considered to have 50 images.
No reimbursement is required by this act pursuant to Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution because the only costs that may be incurred by a local agency or school district will be incurred because this act creates a new crime or infraction, eliminates a crime or infraction, or changes the penalty for a crime or infraction, within the meaning of Section 17556 of the Government Code, or changes the definition of a crime within the meaning of Section 6 of Article XIII B of the California Constitution.
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