SUBCHAPTER IV
OBSCENITY
944.20 Lewd and lascivious behavior.
944.21 Obscene material or performance.
944.23 Making lewd, obscene or indecent drawings.
944.25 Sending obscene or sexually explicit electronic messages.
SUBCHAPTER V
PROSTITUTION
944.31 Patronizing prostitutes.
944.32 Soliciting prostitutes.
944.34 Keeping place of prostitution.
944.36 Solicitation of drinks prohibited.
Ch. 944 Cross-reference
Cross-reference: See definitions in s.
939.22.
LEGISLATIVE INTENT
944.01
944.01
Intent. The state recognizes that it has a duty to encourage high moral standards. Although the state does not regulate the private sexual activity of consenting adults, the state does not condone or encourage any form of sexual conduct outside the institution of marriage. Marriage is the foundation of family and society. Its stability is basic to morality and civilization, and of vital interest to society and this state.
944.01 History
History: 1983 a. 17.
SEXUAL CRIMES WHICH AFFECT THE FAMILY
944.05(1)(1) Whoever does any of the following is guilty of a Class I felony:
944.05(1)(a)
(a) Contracts a marriage in this state with knowledge that his or her prior marriage is not dissolved; or
944.05(1)(b)
(b) Contracts a marriage in this state with knowledge that the prior marriage of the person he or she marries is not dissolved; or
944.05(1)(c)
(c) Cohabits in this state with a person whom he or she married outside this state with knowledge that his or her own prior marriage had not been dissolved or with knowledge that the prior marriage of the person he or she married had not been dissolved.
944.05(2)
(2) In this section "cohabit" means to live together under the representation or appearance of being married.
944.06
944.06
Incest. Whoever marries or has nonmarital sexual intercourse, as defined in
s. 948.01 (6), with a person he or she knows is a blood relative and such relative is in fact related in a degree within which the marriage of the parties is prohibited by the law of this state is guilty of a Class F felony.
944.06 Annotation
Lawrence v. Texas,
539 U.S. 558 (2003), did not announce a fundamental right of adults to engage in all forms of private consensual sexual conduct. There was no clearly established federal law in 2001 that supported defendant's claim that he had a fundamental right to engage in incest free from government proscription. Muth v. Frank,
412 F.3d 808 (2005).
FORNICATION; ADULTERY; GRATIFICATION
944.15
944.15
Public fornication. 944.15(1)(1) In this section, "in public" means in a place where or in a manner such that the person knows or has reason to know that his or her conduct is observable by or in the presence of persons other than the person with whom he or she is having sexual intercourse.
944.15(2)
(2) Whoever has sexual intercourse in public is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
944.16
944.16
Adultery. Whoever does either of the following is guilty of a Class I felony:
944.16(1)
(1) A married person who has sexual intercourse with a person not the married person's spouse; or
944.16(2)
(2) A person who has sexual intercourse with a person who is married to another.
944.17
944.17
Sexual gratification. 944.17(1)
(1) In this section, "in public" means in a place where or in a manner such that the person knows or has reason to know that his or her conduct is observable by or in the presence of persons other than the person with whom he or she is having sexual gratification.
944.17(2)
(2) Whoever does any of the following is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor:
944.17(2)(a)
(a) Commits an act of sexual gratification in public involving the sex organ of one person and the mouth or anus of another.
944.17(2)(c)
(c) Commits an act of sexual gratification involving his or her sex organ and the sex organ, mouth or anus of an animal.
944.17(2)(d)
(d) Commits an act of sexual gratification involving his or her sex organ, mouth or anus and the sex organ of an animal.
944.17(3)
(3) Subsection (2) does not apply to a mother's breast-feeding of her child.
OBSCENITY
944.20
944.20
Lewd and lascivious behavior. 944.20(1)
(1) Whoever does any of the following is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor:
944.20(1)(a)
(a) Commits an indecent act of sexual gratification with another with knowledge that they are in the presence of others; or
944.20(1)(b)
(b) Publicly and indecently exposes genitals or pubic area.
944.20(2)
(2) Subsection (1) does not apply to a mother's breast-feeding of her child.
944.20 Annotation
"Publicly" is susceptible to a construction that will avoid the question of constitutional overbreadth, by limiting the application of the statute to constitutionally permissible goals of protecting children from exposure to obscenity and preventing assaults on the sensibilities of unwilling adults in public. Reichenberger v. Warren,
319 F. Supp. 1237 (1970).
944.21
944.21
Obscene material or performance. 944.21(1)
(1) The legislature intends that the authority to prosecute violations of this section shall be used primarily to combat the obscenity industry and shall never be used for harassment or censorship purposes against materials or performances having serious artistic, literary, political, educational or scientific value. The legislature further intends that the enforcement of this section shall be consistent with the
first amendment to the U.S. constitution,
article I, section 3, of the Wisconsin constitution and the compelling state interest in protecting the free flow of ideas.
944.21(2)(c)
(c) "Obscene material" means a writing, picture, film, or other recording that:
944.21(2)(c)1.
1. The average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find appeals to the prurient interest if taken as a whole;
944.21(2)(c)2.
2. Under contemporary community standards, describes or shows sexual conduct in a patently offensive way; and
944.21(2)(c)3.
3. Lacks serious literary, artistic, political, educational or scientific value, if taken as a whole.
944.21(2)(d)
(d) "Obscene performance" means a live exhibition before an audience which:
944.21(2)(d)1.
1. The average person, applying contemporary community standards, would find appeals to the prurient interest if taken as a whole;
944.21(2)(d)2.
2. Under contemporary community standards, describes or shows sexual conduct in a patently offensive way; and
944.21(2)(d)3.
3. Lacks serious literary, artistic, political, educational or scientific value, if taken as a whole.
944.21(2)(e)
(e) "Sexual conduct" means the commission of any of the following: sexual intercourse, sodomy, bestiality, necrophilia, human excretion, masturbation, sadism, masochism, fellatio, cunnilingus or lewd exhibition of human genitals.
944.21(2)(f)
(f) "Wholesale transfer or distribution of obscene material" means any transfer for a valuable consideration of obscene material for purposes of resale or commercial distribution; or any distribution of obscene material for commercial exhibition. "Wholesale transfer or distribution of obscene material" does not require transfer of title to the obscene material to the purchaser, distributee or exhibitor.
944.21(3)
(3) Whoever does any of the following with knowledge of the character and content of the material or performance and for commercial purposes is subject to the penalties under
sub. (5):
944.21(3)(a)
(a) Imports, prints, sells, has in his or her possession for sale, publishes, exhibits, plays, or distributes any obscene material.
944.21(3)(b)
(b) Produces or performs in any obscene performance.
944.21(3)(c)
(c) Requires, as a condition to the purchase of periodicals, that a retailer accept obscene material.
944.21(4)
(4) Whoever does any of the following with knowledge of the character and content of the material is subject to the penalties under
sub. (5):
944.21(4)(a)
(a) Distributes, exhibits, or plays any obscene material to a person under the age of 18 years.
944.21(4)(b)
(b) Has in his or her possession with intent to distribute, exhibit, or play to a person under the age of 18 years any obscene material.
944.21(5)(a)(a) Except as provided under
pars. (b) to
(e), any person violating
sub. (3) or
(4) is subject to a Class A forfeiture.
944.21(5)(b)
(b) If the person violating
sub. (3) or
(4) has one prior conviction under this section, the person is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
944.21(5)(c)
(c) If the person violating
sub. (3) or
(4) has 2 or more prior convictions under this section, the person is guilty of a Class H felony.
944.21(5)(d)
(d) Prior convictions under
pars. (b) and
(c) apply only to offenses occurring on or after June 17, 1988.
944.21(5)(e)
(e) Regardless of the number of prior convictions, if the violation under
sub. (3) or
(4) is for a wholesale transfer or distribution of obscene material, the person is guilty of a Class H felony.
