Bill > S1104

This bill modifies Massachusetts laws related to age of consent and sexual conduct between young people, introducing more nuanced provisions for prosecuting cases involving minors. Specifically, the bill creates an exception to statutory rape laws when the defendant is no more than 2 years older than the minor and the minor is at least 13 years old. For defendants who are themselves under the age of criminal majority (typically 18), the bill mandates that any prosecution must be handled through juvenile court, preventing these cases from being processed in adult criminal courts. The bill also repeals an existing section of law (Section 4 of chapter 272), which likely contained outdated or redundant language about sexual conduct. By creating these provisions, the bill aims to provide more proportionate legal treatment for consensual sexual interactions between young people who are close in age, recognizing that strict application of statutory rape laws can sometimes result in overly harsh consequences for young defendants.

Justice

https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S1104