Bill > H1523

This bill proposes to amend Chapter 265 of the General Laws by adding a new section that establishes stricter penalties for individuals who unlawfully have sexual intercourse or unnatural sexual intercourse with a child under 13 years of age. For a first offense, the punishment would be imprisonment in state prison for life or a term of years, with a mandatory minimum of 7 to 10 years, and the sentence cannot be reduced, suspended, or eligible for probation, parole, work release, furlough, or good conduct deductions until at least 7 years are served. A second offense would carry a mandatory minimum of 20 years, with similar restrictions on sentence reduction, suspension, and eligibility for early release programs until 20 years are served. For a third or subsequent offense, the punishment would be life imprisonment, with no eligibility for parole. The bill also specifies that prosecutions under this section cannot be continued without a finding or placed on file, meaning these cases must result in a conviction or dismissal.