12.1-20 Sex Offenses

Statutes > North Dakota Statutes > Chapter 12.1 Criminal Code > 12.1-20 Sex Offenses

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CHAPTER 12.1-20SEX OFFENSES12.1-20-01. General provisions. In sections 12.1-20-03 through 12.1-20-08:1.When the criminality of conduct depends on a child's being below the age of fifteen, it is no defense that the actor did not know the child's age, or reasonably believed the child to be older than fourteen.2.When criminality depends on the victim being a minor, it is an affirmative defense that the actor reasonably believed the victim to be an adult.3.When criminality depends on the victim being a minor fifteen years of age or older, the actor is guilty of an offense only if the actor is at least three years older than the minor.12.1-20-02. Definitions. In sections 12.1-20-03 through 12.1-20-12:1."Coercion" means to exploit fear or anxiety through intimidation, compulsion, domination, or control with the intent to compel conduct or compliance.2."Deviate sexual act" means any form of sexual contact with an animal, bird, or dead person.3."Object" means anything used in commission of a sexual act other than the person of the actor.4."Sexual act" means sexual contact between human beings consisting of contact between the penis and the vulva, the penis and the anus, the mouth and the penis, the mouth and the vulva, or any other portion of the human body and the penis, anus, or vulva; or the use of an object which comes in contact with the victim's anus, vulva, or penis. For the purposes of this subsection, sexual contact between the penis and the vulva, the penis and the anus, any other portion of the human body and the anus or vulva, or an object and the anus, vulva, or penis of the victim, occurs upon penetration, however slight. Emission is not required.5."Sexual contact" means any touching, whether or not through the clothing or other covering, of the sexual or other intimate parts of the person, or the penile ejaculation or ejaculate or emission of urine or feces upon any part of the person, for the purpose of arousing or satisfying sexual or aggressive desires.12.1-20-03. Gross sexual imposition - Penalty.1.A person who engages in a sexual act with another, or who causes another to engage in a sexual act, is guilty of an offense if:a.That person compels the victim to submit by force or by threat of imminent death, serious bodily injury, or kidnapping, to be inflicted on any human being;b.That person or someone with that person's knowledge has substantially impaired the victim's power to appraise or control the victim's conduct by administering or employing without the victim's knowledge intoxicants, a controlled substance as defined in chapter 19-03.1, or other means with intent to prevent resistance;c.That person knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the victim is unaware that a sexual act is being committed upon him or her;Page No. 1d.The victim is less than fifteen years old; ore.That person knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the other person suffers from a mental disease or defect which renders him or her incapable of understanding the nature of his or her conduct.2.A person who engages in sexual contact with another, or who causes another to engage in sexual contact, is guilty of an offense if:a.The victim is less than fifteen years old;b.That person compels the victim to submit by force or by threat of imminent death, serious bodily injury, or kidnapping, to be inflicted on any human being; orc.That person knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the victim is unaware that sexual contact is being committed on the victim.3.a.An offense under this section is a class AA felony if in the course of the offense the actor inflicts serious bodily injury upon the victim, if the actor's conduct violates subdivision a of subsection 1, or if the actor's conduct violates subdivision d of subsection 1 and the actor was at least twenty-two years of age at the time of the offense.For any conviction of a class AA felony undersubdivision a of subsection 1, the court shall impose a minimum sentence of twenty years'imprisonment, with probation supervisiontofollowtheincarceration. The court may deviate from the mandatory sentence if the court finds that the sentence would impose a manifest injustice as defined in section 39-01-01 and the defendant has accepted responsibility for the crime or cooperated with law enforcement.However, a defendant convicted of aclass AA felony under this section may not be sentenced to serve less than five years of incarceration.b.Otherwise the offense is a class A felony.4.If, as a result of injuries sustained during the course of an offense under this section, the victim dies, the offense is a class AA felony, for which the maximum penalty of life imprisonment without parole must be imposed.12.1-20-03.1. Continuous sexual abuse of a child.1.An individual in adult court is guilty of an offense if the individual engages in any combination of three or more sexual acts or sexual contacts with a minor under the age of fifteen years during a period of three or more months. The offense is a class AA felony if the actor was at least twenty-two years of age at the time of the offense. Otherwise, the offense is a class A felony. The court may not defer imposition of sentence.2.If more than three sexual acts or contacts are alleged, a jury must unanimously agree that any combination of three or more acts or contacts occurred. The jury does not need to unanimously agree which three acts or contacts occurred.3.No other felony offense under this chapter involving the same victim may be charged in the same proceeding with a charge under this section unless the other charged offense occurred outside the time period charged under this section or the other offense is charged in the alternative. A defendant may be charged with only one count under this section, but a separate count may be charged for each victim if more than one victim is involved.Page No. 212.1-20-04.Sexual imposition.A person who engages in a sexual act or sexualcontact with another, or who causes another to engage in a sexual act or sexual contact, is guilty of a class B felony if the actor:1.Compels the other person to submit by any threat or coercion that would render a person reasonably incapable of resisting; or2.Engages in a sexual act or sexual contact with another, whether consensual or not, as part of an induction, initiation, ceremony, pledge, hazing, or qualification to become a member or an associate of any criminal street gang as defined in section 12.1-06.2-01.12.1-20-05. Corruption or solicitation of minors.1.An adult who engages in, solicits with the intent to engage in, or causes another to engage in a sexual act with a minor, is guilty of a class A misdemeanor if the victim is a minor fifteen years of age or older.2.An adult who solicits with the intent to engage in a sexual act with a minor under age fifteen or engages in or causes another to engage in a sexual act when the adult is at least twenty-two years of age and the victim is a minor fifteen years of age or older, is guilty of a class C felony.3.An adult who commits a violation of subsection 1 within fifty feet [15.24 meters] of or on the real property comprising a public or nonpublic elementary, middle, or high school is guilty of a class C felony. An adult who commits a violation of subsection 2 within fifty feet [15.24 meters] of or on the real property comprising a public or nonpublic elementary, middle, or high school is guilty of a class B felony.12.1-20-05.1. Luring minors by computer or other electronic means.1.An adult is guilty of luring minors by computer or other electronic means when:a.The adult knows the character and content of a communication that, in whole or in part, implicitly or explicitly discusses or depicts actual or simulated nudity, sexual acts, sexual contact, sadomasochistic abuse, or other sexual performances and uses any computer communication system or other electronic means that allows the input, output, examination, or transfer of data or programs from one computer or electronic device to another to initiate or engage in such communication with a person the adult believes to be a minor; andb.By means of that communication the adult importunes, invites, or induces a person the adult believes to be a minor to engage in sexual acts or to have sexual contact with the adult, or to engage in a sexual performance, obscene sexual performance, or sexual conduct for the adult's benefit, satisfaction, lust, passions, or sexual desires.2.A violation of this section is a class A misdemeanor if the adult is less than twenty-two years of age and reasonably believes the minor is age fifteen to seventeen. If the adult is less than twenty-two years of age and reasonably believes the minor is under age fifteen, or the adult is twenty-two years of age or older and the adult reasonably believes the minor is age fifteen to seventeen, violation of this section is a class C felony. If the adult is twenty-two years of age or older and the adult reasonably believes the minor is under the age of fifteen, violation of this section is a class B felony. The court shall sentence an adult convicted of a class B or class C felony under this section to serve a term of imprisonment of at least one year, except the court may sentence an individual to less than one year if the individual did not take a substantial step toward meeting with the minor.Page No. 33.The attorney general may issue an administrative subpoena compelling an internet service provider or cellular phone company to provide subscriber information to a law enforcement agency investigating a possible violation of this section.12.1-20-06.Sexual abuse of wards.A person who engages in a sexual act withanother person, or any person who causes another to engage in a sexual act is guilty of a class C felony if the other person is in official custody or detained in a hospital, prison, or other institution and the actor has supervisory or disciplinary authority over the other person.12.1-20-06.1. Sexual exploitation by therapist - Definitions - Penalty. Any personwho is or who holds oneself out to be a therapist and who intentionally has sexual contact, as defined in section 12.1-20-02, with a patient or client during any treatment, consultation, interview, or examination is guilty of a class C felony. Consent by the complainant is not a defense under this section. A complaint of a violation of this section may be made to the police department of the city in which the violation occurred, the sheriff of the county in which the violation occurred, or the bureau of criminal investigation. Local law enforcement agencies and the bureau of criminal investigation shall cooperate in investigations of violations of this section. As used in this section, unless the context or subject matter otherwise requires:1."Psychotherapy" means the diagnosis or treatment of a mental or emotional condition, including alcohol or drug addiction.2."Therapist" means a physician, psychologist, psychiatrist, social worker, nurse, chemical dependency counselor, member of the clergy, or other person, whether licensed or not by the state, who performs or purports to perform psychotherapy.12.1-20-07. Sexual assault.1.A person who knowingly has sexual contact with another person, or who causes another person to have sexual contact with that person, is guilty of an offense if:a.That person knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the contact is offensive to the other person;b.That person knows or has reasonable cause to believe that the other person suffers from a mental disease or defect which renders that other person incapable of understanding the nature of that other person's conduct;c.That person or someone with that person's knowledge has substantially impaired the victim's power to appraise or control the victim's conduct, by administering or employing without the victim's knowledge intoxicants, a controlled substance as defined in chapter 19-03.1, or other means for the purpose of preventing resistance;d.The other person is in official custody or detained in a hospital, prison, or other institution and the actor has supervisory or disciplinary authority over that other person;e.The other person is a minor, fifteen years of age or older, and the actor is the other person's parent, guardian, or is otherwise responsible for general supervision of the other person's welfare; orf.The other person is a minor, fifteen years of age or older, and the actor is an adult.2.The offense is a class C felony if the actor's conduct violates subdivision b, c, d, or e of subsection 1, or subdivision f of subsection 1 if the adult is at least twenty-two years of age, a class A misdemeanor if the actor's conduct violates subdivision f of subsection 1 if the adult is at least eighteen years of age and not twenty-two years ofPage No. 4age or older, or a class B misdemeanor if the actor's conduct violates subdivision a of subsection 1.12.1-20-08.Fornication.An individual is guilty of a class A misdemeanor if theindividual engages in a sexual act in a public place. A minor engaging in a sexual act is guilty of a class B misdemeanor, unless that sexual act was committed against the minor in violation of sections 12.1-20-01 through 12.1-20-07.12.1-20-09. Adultery.1.A married person is guilty of a class A misdemeanor if he or she engages in a sexual act with another person who is not his or her spouse.2.No prosecution shall be instituted under this section except on the complaint of the spouse of the alleged offender, and the prosecution shall not be commenced later than one year from commission of the offense.3.The court shall grant immunity from prosecution under this section to a person subject to prosecution under this section who, as part of a divorce, annulment, or separation proceeding, provides information regarding sexual acts with another person.12.1-20-10. Unlawful cohabitation. 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12.1-20 Sex Offenses