TITLE 18

CRIMES AND PUNISHMENTS

CHAPTER 41

INDECENCY AND OBSCENITY

18-4101.  Definitions. The following definitions are applicable to this act:

(A)  "Obscene material" means any matter:

(1)  Which the average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find, when considered as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest; and

(2)  Which depicts or describes patently offensive representations or descriptions of:

(a)  Ultimate sexual acts, normal or perverted, actual or simulated; or

(b)  Masturbation, excretory functions, or lewd exhibition of the genitals or genital area.

Nothing herein contained is intended to include or proscribe any matter which, when considered as a whole, and in the context in which it is used, possesses serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value.

In prosecutions under this act, where circumstances of production, presentation, sale, dissemination, or publicity indicate that the matter is being commercially exploited by the defendant for the sake of its prurient appeal, such evidence is probative with respect to the nature of the matter and can justify the conclusion that, in the context in which it is used, the matter has no serious literary, artistic, political, or scientific value.

(B)  "Prurient interest" means a shameful or morbid interest in nudity, sex, or excretion, which goes substantially beyond customary limits of candor in description or representation of such matters. If it appears from the character of the material or the circumstances of its dissemination that the subject matter is designed for a specially susceptible audience or clearly defined deviant sexual group, the appeal of the subject matter shall be judged with reference to such audience or group.

(C)  "Matter" or "material" means any book, magazine, newspaper, or other printed or written material; or any picture, drawing, photograph, motion picture, or other pictorial representation; or any statue or other figure; or any recording, transcription, or mechanical, chemical, or electrical reproduction; or any other articles, equipment, machines, or materials.

(D)  "Person" means any individual, partnership, firm, association, corporation, or other legal entity; or any agent or servant thereof.

(E)  "Distribute" means to transfer possession of, whether with or without consideration, by any means.

(F)  "Knowingly" means having actual or constructive knowledge of the character of the subject matter or live conduct. A person shall be deemed to have constructive knowledge of the character of the subject matter or live conduct if he has knowledge of facts which would put a reasonable and prudent man on notice as to the suspect nature of the matter, and the failure to inspect the contents is either for the purpose of avoiding such disclosure or is due to reckless conduct.

(G)  "Reckless conduct" is conduct which consciously disregards a substantial and unjustifiable risk that matter may be obscene. The risk must be of such a nature and degree that, considering the nature and purpose of the actor’s conduct and the circumstances known to him, its disregard involves a gross deviation from the standard of conduct that an average law-abiding person would observe in the actor’s situation under like circumstances.

(H)  "Exhibit" means to show or display.

(I)  "Obscene live conduct" means any physical human body activity, whether performed or engaged in alone or with other persons, including but not limited to singing, speaking, dancing, acting, simulating, or pantomiming, where:

(1)  The average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find such conduct, when considered as a whole, appeals to the prurient interest; and

(2)  The conduct is patently offensive because it consists of:

(a)  Ultimate sexual acts, normal or perverted, actual or simulated; or

(b)  Masturbation, excretory functions, or lewd exhibition of the genitals or genital area.

Nothing herein contained is intended to include or proscribe any conduct which, when considered as a whole, and in the context in which it is used, possesses serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value. In prosecutions under this act, where circumstances of production, presentation, advertising, or exhibition indicate that live conduct is being commercially exploited by the defendant for the sake of its prurient appeal, such evidence is probative with respect to the nature of the conduct and can justify the conclusion that, in the context in which it is used, the matter has no serious literary, artistic, political or scientific value. Nothing herein contained is intended to include or proscribe the breastfeeding of a child or the expression of breast milk for the purpose of feeding a child.

History:

[18-4101, added 1973, ch. 305, sec. 2, p. 655; am. 1976, ch. 81, sec. 1, p. 259; am. 2018, ch. 181, sec. 1, p. 395.]