2022 Connecticut General Statutes
Title 53a - Penal Code
Chapter 952 - Penal Code: Offenses
Section 53a-196d. - Possessing child pornography in the first degree: Class B felony.
(a) A person is guilty of possessing child pornography in the first degree when such person knowingly possesses (1) fifty or more visual depictions of child pornography, or (2) one or more visual depictions of child pornography that depict the infliction or threatened infliction of serious physical injury, or (3) (A) a series of images in electronic, digital or other format, which is intended to be displayed continuously, consisting of two or more frames, or a film or videotape, consisting of two or more frames, that depicts (i) more than one child engaging in sexually explicit conduct, or (ii) more than one act of sexually explicit conduct by one or more children, or (B) any combination of a (i) series of images in electronic, digital or other format, which is intended to be displayed continuously, (ii) film, or (iii) videotape, which series, film or videotape each consists of two or more frames and depicts a single act of sexually explicit conduct by one child.
(b) In any prosecution for an offense under this section, it shall be an affirmative defense that the acts of the defendant, if proven, would constitute a violation of section 53a-196h.
(c) Possessing child pornography in the first degree is a class B felony and any person found guilty under this section shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of which five years of the sentence imposed may not be suspended or reduced by the court.
(P.A. 95-143, S. 3; P.A. 04-139, S. 4; P.A. 07-143, S. 8; P.A. 10-112, S. 3; 10-191, S. 2; P.A. 14-192, S. 1.)
History: P.A. 04-139 renamed offense by replacing “possessing child pornography” with “possessing child pornography in the first degree” where appearing, amended Subsec. (a) to replace provision that offense occurs when a person “knowingly possesses child pornography, as defined in subdivision (13) of section 53a-193” with “knowingly possesses fifty or more visual depictions of child pornography” and delete provision that possession of a photographic or other visual reproduction of a nude minor for a bona fide artistic, medical, scientific, educational, religious, governmental or judicial purpose is not a violation of subsection, and amended Subsec. (b) to increase penalty from a class D felony to a class B felony; P.A. 07-143 amended Subsec. (b) to require any person found guilty to be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of which 5 years of the sentence imposed may not be suspended or reduced by the court, effective July 1, 2007; P.A. 10-112 amended Subsec. (a) to designate existing provision re 50 or more visual depictions as Subdiv. (1) and add Subdiv. (2) re visual depictions of child pornography that depict infliction or threatened infliction of serious physical injury; P.A. 10-191 added new Subsec. (b) re affirmative defense and redesignated existing Subsec. (b) as Subsec. (c); P.A. 14-192 amended Subsec. (a) to add Subdiv. (3) re possession of series of images in electronic, digital or other format intended to be displayed continuously, or a film or videotape.
Trial court properly rejected defendant's claim that statute is unconstitutionally vague; there is no first amendment right to possess materials otherwise covered by definition of child pornography specified in Sec. 53a-193(13) when the person depicted is younger than 18, statute is not unconstitutional on its face and defendant having conceded that statute clearly gives fair notice that pornographic materials depicting children under 16 are prohibited and having admitted that he possessed materials depicting children under 16, statute is not unconstitutionally vague as applied to defendant; “minor”, for purposes of statute, means a person under 16 years of age. 252 C. 579.
