948.075 Annotation
Defendant's admission to driving to the alleged victim's neighborhood for an innocent purpose combined with computer communications, in which the defendant told the alleged victim that he drove through her neighborhood for the specific purpose of meeting her, and his confession to the police that he went to the area so he could “get her interested in chatting with him again," showed that the non-computer-assisted act of driving through the area was to effect his intent to have sex with the alleged victim and satisfied the requirement in sub. (3). State v. Schulpius,
2006 WI App 263,
298 Wis. 2d 155,
726 N.W.2d 706,
06-0283.
948.075 Annotation
Defendant's use of a webcam to transmit video of himself was, under the circumstances of this case, nothing more than the use of his computer to communicate and thus not an act “other than us[ing] a computerized communication system to communicate" as required under sub. (3). State v. Olson,
2008 WI App 171,
314 Wis. 2d 630,
762 N.W.2d 393,
08-0587.
948.075 Annotation
The element use of a “computerized communication system" in sub. (1r) was satisfied when the defendant used his flip-style cellphone to exchange texts with, and receive picture messages from, the 14-year-old victim. There is no doubt that modern cellphones today are in fact computers. The defendant used his cellphone as a computer to send communications to the victim over the computer system used by their cellphones so that he could have sexual contact with her. State v. McKellips,
2016 WI 51,
369 Wis. 2d 437,
881 N.W.2d 258,
14-0827.
948.075 Annotation
This section is not unconstitutionally vague because a person of ordinary intelligence would understand that using a cellphone to text or picture message with a child to entice sexual encounters violates the statute, and this section is capable of objective enforcement. State v. McKellips,
2016 WI 51,
369 Wis. 2d 437,
881 N.W.2d 258,
14-0827.
948.075 Annotation
The legislature had reasonable and practical grounds for making a conviction for using a computer to facilitate a child sex crime under sub. (1r) subject to a mandatory minimum sentence. Thus, there was a rational basis for the penalty enhancer in s. 939.617 (1) and s. 939.617 (1) was not unconstitutional as applied to the defendant.. State v. Heidke,
2016 WI App 55, ___ Wis. 2d ___,
883 N.W.2d 162,
15-1420.
948.08
948.08
Soliciting a child for prostitution. Whoever intentionally solicits or causes any child to engage in an act of prostitution or establishes any child in a place of prostitution is guilty of a Class D felony.
948.08 Annotation
Although colloquially referred to as prohibiting solicitation, this section also specifically, and alternatively, prohibits causing a child to practice prostitution. Cause is a substantial factor that need not be the first or sole cause of a child practicing prostitution. The habitual nature of the defendant's trading cocaine for sex with the child victim satisfied the requisite that the victim did “practice prostitution" with the defendant. State v. Payette,
2008 WI App 106,
313 Wis. 2d 39,
756 N.W.2d 423,
07-1192.
948.085
948.085
Sexual assault of a child placed in substitute care. Whoever does any of the following is guilty of a Class C felony:
948.085(1)
(1) Has sexual contact or sexual intercourse with a child for whom the actor is a foster parent.
948.085(2)
(2) Has sexual contact or sexual intercourse with a child who is placed in any of the following facilities if the actor works or volunteers at the facility or is directly or indirectly responsible for managing it:
948.09
948.09
Sexual intercourse with a child age 16 or older. Whoever has sexual intercourse with a child who is not the defendant's spouse and who has attained the age of 16 years is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor.
948.09 History
History: 1987 a. 332.
948.095
948.095
Sexual assault of a child by a school staff person or a person who works or volunteers with children. 948.095(1)(a)
(a) “School" means a public or private elementary or secondary school, or a tribal school, as defined in
s. 115.001 (15m).
948.095(1)(b)
(b) “School staff" means any person who provides services to a school or a school board, including an employee of a school or a school board and a person who provides services to a school or a school board under a contract.
948.095(2)
(2) Whoever has sexual contact or sexual intercourse with a child who has attained the age of 16 years and who is not the defendant's spouse is guilty of a Class H felony if all of the following apply:
948.095(2)(a)
(a) The child is enrolled as a student in a school or a school district.
948.095(2)(b)
(b) The defendant is a member of the school staff of the school or school district in which the child is enrolled as a student.
948.095(3)(a)(a) A person who has attained the age of 21 years and who engages in an occupation or participates in a volunteer position that requires him or her to work or interact directly with children may not have sexual contact or sexual intercourse with a child who has attained the age of 16 years, who is not the person's spouse, and with whom the person works or interacts through that occupation or volunteer position.
948.095(3)(d)
(d) Evidence that a person engages in an occupation or participates in a volunteer position relating to any of the following is prima facie evidence that the occupation or position requires him or her to work or interact directly with children:
948.095 Annotation
An “employee" and persons “under contract" are examples of persons included within the group of people that provide services to a school or school board within the definition of school staff under sub. (1) (b). These phrases are illustrative, and do not limit the definition of “a person who provides services." State v. Kaster,
2003 WI App 105,
264 Wis. 2d 751, 663 N.W.2d. 390,
02-2352 and
2006 WI App 72,
292 Wis. 2d 252,
714 N.W.2d 238,
05-1285.
948.10
948.10
Exposing genitals, pubic area, or intimate parts. 948.10(1)(1) Whoever, for purposes of sexual arousal or sexual gratification, causes a child to expose genitals, pubic area, or intimate parts or exposes genitals, pubic area, or intimate parts to a child is guilty of the following:
948.10(1)(b)
(b) A Class A misdemeanor if any of the following applies:
948.10(1)(b)2.
2. At the time of the violation, the actor had not attained the age of 19 years and was not more than 4 years older than the child.
948.10(2)
(2) Subsection (1) does not apply under any of the following circumstances:
948.10 Annotation
Like other statutes in ch. 948 that create strict liability for crimes against children, this section can only be employed in situations involving face-to-face contact at the time of the crime and not to remote exposures such as over the Internet. This section lacks the scienter element of age of the victim that is necessary in a variable obscenity statute. State v. Stuckey,
2013 WI App 98,
349 Wis. 2d 654,
837 N.W.2d 160,
12-1776.
948.11
948.11
Exposing a child to harmful material or harmful descriptions or narrations. 948.11(1)(ag)
(ag) “Harmful description or narrative account" means any explicit and detailed description or narrative account of sexual excitement, sexually explicit conduct, sadomasochistic abuse, physical torture or brutality that, taken as a whole, is harmful to children.
948.11(1)(ar)1.
1. Any picture, photograph, drawing, sculpture, motion picture film or similar visual representation or image of a person or portion of the human body that depicts nudity, sexually explicit conduct, sadomasochistic abuse, physical torture or brutality and that is harmful to children; or
948.11(1)(ar)2.
2. Any book, pamphlet, magazine, printed matter however reproduced or recording that contains any matter enumerated in
subd. 1., or explicit and detailed verbal descriptions or narrative accounts of sexual excitement, sexually explicit conduct, sadomasochistic abuse, physical torture or brutality and that, taken as a whole, is harmful to children.
948.11(1)(b)
(b) “Harmful to children" means that quality of any description, narrative account or representation, in whatever form, of nudity, sexually explicit conduct, sexual excitement, sadomasochistic abuse, physical torture or brutality, when it:
948.11(1)(b)1.
1. Predominantly appeals to the prurient, shameful or morbid interest of children;
948.11(1)(b)2.
2. Is patently offensive to prevailing standards in the adult community as a whole with respect to what is suitable for children; and
948.11(1)(b)3.
3. Lacks serious literary, artistic, political, scientific or educational value for children, when taken as a whole.
948.11(1)(d)
(d) “Nudity" means the showing of the human male or female genitals, pubic area or buttocks with less than a full opaque covering, or the showing of the female breast with less than a fully opaque covering of any portion thereof below the top of the nipple, or the depiction of covered male genitals in a discernibly turgid state.
948.11(1)(e)
(e) “Person" means any individual, partnership, firm, association, corporation or other legal entity.
948.11(1)(f)
(f) “Sexual excitement" means the condition of human male or female genitals when in a state of sexual stimulation or arousal.
948.11(2)(a)(a) Whoever, with knowledge of the character and content of the material, sells, rents, exhibits, plays, distributes, or loans to a child any harmful material, with or without monetary consideration, is guilty of a Class I felony if any of the following applies:
948.11(2)(a)1.
1. The person knows or reasonably should know that the child has not attained the age of 18 years.
948.11(2)(a)2.
2. The person has face-to-face contact with the child before or during the sale, rental, exhibit, playing, distribution, or loan.
948.11(2)(am)
(am) Any person who has attained the age of 17 and who, with knowledge of the character and content of the description or narrative account, verbally communicates, by any means, a harmful description or narrative account to a child, with or without monetary consideration, is guilty of a Class I felony if any of the following applies:
948.11(2)(am)1.
1. The person knows or reasonably should know that the child has not attained the age of 18 years.
948.11(2)(am)2.
2. The person has face-to-face contact with the child before or during the communication.
948.11(2)(b)
(b) Whoever, with knowledge of the character and content of the material, possesses harmful material with the intent to sell, rent, exhibit, play, distribute, or loan the material to a child is guilty of a Class A misdemeanor if any of the following applies:
948.11(2)(b)1.
1. The person knows or reasonably should know that the child has not attained the age of 18 years.
948.11(2)(c)
(c) It is an affirmative defense to a prosecution for a violation of
pars. (a) 2.,
(am) 2., and
(b) 2. if the defendant had reasonable cause to believe that the child had attained the age of 18 years, and the child exhibited to the defendant a draft card, driver's license, birth certificate or other official or apparently official document purporting to establish that the child had attained the age of 18 years. A defendant who raises this affirmative defense has the burden of proving this defense by a preponderance of the evidence.
948.11(3)
(3) Extradition. If any person is convicted under
sub. (2) and cannot be found in this state, the governor or any person performing the functions of governor by authority of the law shall, unless the convicted person has appealed from the judgment of contempt or conviction and the appeal has not been finally determined, demand his or her extradition from the executive authority of the state in which the person is found.
948.11(4)
(4) Libraries and educational institutions. 948.11(4)(a)(a) The legislature finds that the libraries and educational institutions under
par. (b) carry out the essential purpose of making available to all citizens a current, balanced collection of books, reference materials, periodicals, sound recordings and audiovisual materials that reflect the cultural diversity and pluralistic nature of American society. The legislature further finds that it is in the interest of the state to protect the financial resources of libraries and educational institutions from being expended in litigation and to permit these resources to be used to the greatest extent possible for fulfilling the essential purpose of libraries and educational institutions.
948.11(4)(b)
(b) No person who is an employee, a member of the board of directors or a trustee of any of the following is liable to prosecution for violation of this section for acts or omissions while in his or her capacity as an employee, a member of the board of directors or a trustee:
948.11(4)(b)3.
3. Any school offering vocational, technical or adult education that:
948.11(4)(b)4.
4. Any institution of higher education that is accredited, as described in
s. 39.30 (1) (d), and is exempt from taxation under section
501 (c) (3) of the internal revenue code, as defined in
s. 71.01 (6).
948.11(4)(b)5.
5. A library that receives funding from any unit of government.
948.11(5)
(5) Severability. The provisions of this section, including the provisions of
sub. (4), are severable, as provided in
s. 990.001 (11).
948.11 Annotation
This section is not unconstitutionally overbroad. The exemption from prosecution of libraries, educational institutions, and their employees and directors does not violate equal protection rights. State v. Thiel,
183 Wis. 2d 505,
515 N.W.2d 847 (1994).
948.11 Annotation
An individual violates this section if he or she, aware of the nature of the material, knowingly offers or presents for inspection to a specific minor material defined as harmful to children in sub. (1) (b). The personal contact between the perpetrator and the child-victim is what allows the state to impose on the defendant the risk that the victim is a minor. State v. Trochinski,
2002 WI 56,
253 Wis. 2d 38,
644 N.W.2d 891,
00-2545.
948.11 Annotation
Evidence was not insufficient to sustain the jury's verdict solely because the jury did not view the video alleged to be “harmful material," but instead heard only the children victim's and a detective's descriptions of what they saw. State v. Booker,
2006 WI 79,
292 Wis. 2d 43,
717 N.W.2d 676,
04-1435.
