Bill > S1174

This bill proposes to amend Massachusetts state law to criminalize the creation of computer-generated child sexual abuse visual materials, even if no actual minor is involved. Specifically, the legislation creates a new criminal offense where someone with knowledge of or reason to know that a depicted person is a minor, and with "lascivious intent", creates visual material depicting sexual conduct or a minor in a state of nudity. The penalties for this offense include up to 2½ years in the house of correction, up to 10 years in state prison, a fine between $10,000 and $50,000, or a combination of these punishments. The bill broadly defines "child sexual abuse visual material" to include computer-generated, digitally altered, or mechanically reproduced images that would reasonably appear to depict a minor in a sexually explicit or nude context. The bill provides multiple methods for determining whether a depicted individual is considered a minor, including personal testimony, testimony from the material's producer, witness observation, or expert medical assessment based on physical appearance. The legislation also extends these provisions to existing laws related to possession of child sexual abuse visual materials, thereby expanding legal protections against digitally created exploitative imagery.

Budget and Finance, Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S1174