2017 -- H 5857

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LC001330

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2017

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A N   A C T

RELATING TO CRIMINAL PROCEDURE -- DELINQUENT AND DEPENDENT

CHILDREN-- CRIMINAL INJURIES COMPENSATION-- SEXUALLY EXPLOITED

CHILDREN

     

     Introduced By: Representatives Ackerman, Messier, Handy, Craven, and Amore

     Date Introduced: March 03, 2017

     Referred To: House Judiciary

     (DCYF)

It is enacted by the General Assembly as follows:

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     SECTION 1. Section 12-25-20 of the General Laws in Chapter 12-25 entitled "Criminal

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Injuries Compensation" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     12-25-20. Offenses to which chapter applies.

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     The office may award compensation in accordance with the provisions of this chapter for

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personal injury or death which resulted from offenses in the following categories:

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     (1) Assault with intent to commit murder, robbery, or rape;

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     (2) Assault with a dangerous weapon;

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     (3) Assault and battery;

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     (4) Mayhem;

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     (5) Indecent assault and battery on a child under thirteen (13) years of age;

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     (6) Arson or statutory burning;

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     (7) Kidnapping;

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     (8) Robbery or larceny from that person;

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     (9) Murder;

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     (10) Manslaughter;

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     (11) First or second degree sexual assault;

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     (12) Child molestation, first or second degree;

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     (13) The abominable and detestable crime against nature or assault with intent to commit

 

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the abominable and detestable crime against nature;

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     (14) Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs;

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     (15) Refusal by a driver to submit to a chemical test for alcohol or drugs in the immediate

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aftermath of a collision;

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     (16) Driving so as to endanger, resulting in death, pursuant to § 31-27-1;

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     (17) Driving so as to endanger, resulting in personal injury, pursuant to § 31-27-1.1;

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     (18) Any other crime excluding motor vehicle offenses other than those enumerated in

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this section which results in personal injury or death; and

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     (19) Failure to stop by a driver in circumstances which result in the death of any person,

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pursuant to § 31-26-1.; and

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     (20) Sex trafficking of a minor pursuant to §11-67-6.

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     SECTION 2. Title 14 of the General Laws entitled "DELINQUENT AND DEPENDENT

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CHILDREN" is hereby amended by adding thereto the following chapter:

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CHAPTER 1.1

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THE RHODE ISLAND SAFE HARBOR FOR SEXUALLY EXPLOITED CHILDREN ACT

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     14-1.1-1. Short title.

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     This act shall be known and may be cited as "The Rhode Island Safe Harbor for Sexually

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Exploited Children Act".

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     14-1.1-2. Purposes.

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     This act shall be construed so as to effectuate the following purposes:

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     (1) To ensure that minors who are victims of sex trafficking are treated as victims and not

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criminals by providing for immunity to the child victim from prosecution for prostitution and

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redirecting the child victim of sexual exploitation and sex trafficking away from the criminal or

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juvenile justice systems and to refer the child victim to supportive services and programs;

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     (2) To preserve the unity of the family whenever possible and to provide for the care,

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protection, and treatment of minors coming within the provisions of this act; and

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     (3) To provide child victims of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation access to the

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criminal injuries compensation fund.

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     14-1.1-3. Definitions.

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     The following words and phrases when used in this chapter shall, unless the context

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otherwise requires, be construed as follows:

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     (1) "Commercial sex act" means any sex act or sexually explicit performance on account

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of which anything of value is given, promised to, or received, directly or indirectly, by any

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person;

 

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     (2) "Child or minor" means a person under the age of eighteen (18) years;

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     (3) "Child or minor victim of sex trafficking or sexual exploitation" means a minor as

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defined in this chapter who has been recruited, employed, enticed, solicited, isolated, harbored,

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transported, provided, persuaded, obtained, induced or maintained by force, fraud or coercion for

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the purposed of performing commercial sex acts;

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     (4) "Criminal injuries compensation fund" means the financial compensation fund for

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victims of violent crime enumerated in chapter 25 of title 12 and administered by the office of the

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general treasurer;

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     (5) "Sex act" means sexual intercourse, cunnilingus, fellatio, anal intercourse, and digital

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intrusion or intrusion by any object into the genital opening or anal opening of another person's

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body or the stimulation by hand of another's genitals for the purposes of arousing or gratifying the

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sexual desire of either person; and

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     (6) "Sexually-explicit performance" means an act or show, intended to arouse, satisfy the

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sexual desires of, or appeal to the prurient interests of patrons or viewers, whether public or

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private, live, photographed, recorded, or videotaped.

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     14-1.1-4. Immunity from prosecution for prostitution.

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     Child victims of sexual trafficking or sexual exploitation who are under the age of

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eighteen (18) years or who are in the custody of the department of children, youth and families

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and are under the age of twenty-one (21) years shall not be charged with nor adjudicated for the

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crime of prostitution as enumerated in §11-34.1-2 or for the crime of loitering for prostitution as

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enumerated in §11-34.1-4.

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     14-1.1-5. Risk assessment and uniform response protocols.

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     (a) When a child is alleged to be a victim of sex trafficking or sexual exploitation, the

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department of children, youth and families for the law enforcement agency initially responding

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shall conduct a screening and risk assessment to determine if the child should be considered to be

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a victim of sex trafficking or sexual exploitation. Additionally, the responding agency(ies) shall

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use a uniform set of protocols for responding to alleged incidents of child sex trafficking or

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sexual exploitation.

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     (b) The department of children, youth and families, in collaboration with the office of the

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attorney general, and the department of public safety shall identify a screening/risk assessment

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tool(s) to be used for this purpose.

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     (c) The department of children, youth and families, in collaboration with the office of the

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attorney general and the local law enforcement agencies shall implement uniform response

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protocols for addressing sex trafficking and sexual exploitation of minors to be used by the

 

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department of children, youth and families and other agency(ies) when responding to such

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incidents.

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     14-1.1-6. Reporting child victims of sex trafficking and sexual exploitation as victims

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of child abuse.

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     (a) Any child who is believed to be a victim of sex trafficking or sexual exploitation shall

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be reported to the department of children, youth and families as an alleged victim of child abuse

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or neglect in accordance with the provisions of chapter 11 of title 40.

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     (b) The department shall report all such allegations to the appropriate law enforcement

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agency(ies) who shall investigate such allegations jointly with the department.

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     (c) A victim of sex trafficking or severe forms of trafficking as defined in §40-11-2 shall

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be considered as a victim of child abuse and neglect and sexual abuse regardless of whether or

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not the individual alleged to have perpetrated the sexual trafficking is a parent of the child or

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other person responsible for the child's welfare.

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     (d) Should the department determine that the allegations of child abuse or neglect are

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supported in accordance with evidentiary standards, the department shall provide, if needed,

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appropriate services to the child and/or their family and may file a dependency, neglect, and/or

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abuse petition in the family court.

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     14-1.1-7. Access to crime injuries compensation fund.

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     Any minor, or a person age eighteen (18) years but under the age of twenty-one (21)

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years who is in the care and custody of the department of children, youth and families, and who is

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identified as a victim of sex trafficking or sexual exploitation shall be eligible to apply to the

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criminal injuries compensation fund in accordance with the provisions of chapter 25 of title 12

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and the rules and regulations promulgated by the office of the general treasurer.

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     SECTION 3. Section 40-11-2 of the General Laws in Chapter 40-11 entitled "Abused and

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Neglected Children" is hereby amended to read as follows:

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     40-11-2. Definitions.

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     When used in this chapter and unless the specific context indicates otherwise:

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     (1) "Abused and/or neglected child" means a child whose physical or mental health or

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welfare is harmed, or threatened with harm, when his or her parent or other person responsible for

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his or her welfare:

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     (i) Inflicts, or allows to be inflicted, upon the child physical or mental injury, including

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excessive corporal punishment; or

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     (ii) Creates, or allows to be created, a substantial risk of physical or mental injury to the

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child, including excessive corporal punishment; or

 

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     (iii) Commits, or allows to be committed, against the child, an act of sexual abuse; or

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     (iv) Fails to supply the child with adequate food, clothing, shelter, or medical care,

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though financially able to do so or offered financial or other reasonable means to do so; or

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     (v) Fails to provide the child with a minimum degree of care or proper supervision or

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guardianship because of his or her unwillingness or inability to do so by situations or conditions

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such as, but not limited to: social problems, mental incompetency, or the use of a drug, drugs, or

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alcohol to the extent that the parent or other person responsible for the child's welfare loses his or

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her ability or is unwilling to properly care for the child; or

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     (vi) Abandons or deserts the child; or

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     (vii) Any child in need of services because another person:

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     (vii)(A) Sexually exploits the child in that the person allows, permits, or encourages the

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child to engage in prostitution, sex trafficking, or other sex acts as defined by the provisions in §

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11-34.1-1 et seq., entitled "Commercial Sexual Activity" and §40-1.1-2; or

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     (viii)(B) Sexually exploits the child in that the person allows, permits, encourages, or

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engages in the obscene or pornographic photographing, filming, or depiction of the child in a

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setting that taken as a whole, suggests to the average person that the child is about to engage in,

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or has engaged in, any sexual act, or that depicts any such child under eighteen (18) years of age

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performing sodomy, oral copulation, sexual intercourse, masturbation, or bestiality; or

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     (ix)(C) Commits, or allows to be committed, any sexual offense against the child as such

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sexual offenses are defined by the provisions of chapter 37 of title 11, entitled "Sexual Assault",

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as amended; or

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     (x)(D) Commits, or allows to be committed, against any child an act involving sexual

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penetration or sexual contact if the child is under fifteen (15) years of age; or if the child is fifteen

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(15) years or older, and (1) force or coercion is used by the perpetrator, or (2) the perpetrator

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knows, or has reason to know, that the victim is a severely impaired person as defined by the

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provisions of § 11-5-11, or physically helpless as defined by the provisions of § 11-37-6.

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     (2) "Child" means a person under the age of eighteen (18).

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     (3) "Child protective investigator" means an employee of the department charged with

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responsibility for investigating complaints and/or referrals of child abuse and/or neglect and

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institutional child abuse and/or neglect.

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     (4) "Commercial sex act" means any sex act or sexually explicit performance on account

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of which anything of value is given, promised to, or received, directly or indirectly, by any

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person.

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     (4)(5) "Department" means department of children, youth and families.

 

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     (5)(6) "Educational program" means any public or private school, including boarding

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schools, or any home-schooling program.

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     (6)(7) "Institution" means any private or public hospital or other facility providing

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medical and/or psychiatric diagnosis, treatment, and care.

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     (7)(8) "Institutional child abuse and neglect" means situations of known or suspected

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child abuse or neglect where the person allegedly responsible for the abuse or neglect is a foster

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parent or the employee of a public or private residential child-care institution or agency; or any

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staff person providing out-of-home care or situations where the suspected abuse or neglect occurs

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as a result of the institution's practices, policies, or conditions.

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     (8)(9) "Law-enforcement agency" means the police department in any city or town and/or

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the state police.

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     (9)(10) "Mental injury" includes a state of substantially diminished psychological or

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intellectual functioning in relation to, but not limited to, such factors as: failure to thrive; ability

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to think or reason; control of aggressive or self-destructive impulses; acting-out or misbehavior,

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including incorrigibility, ungovernability, or habitual truancy; provided, however, that the injury

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must be clearly attributable to the unwillingness or inability of the parent or other person

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responsible for the child's welfare to exercise a minimum degree of care toward the child.

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     (10)(11) "Person responsible for child's welfare" means the child's parent; guardian; any

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individual, eighteen (18) years of age or older, who resides in the home of a parent or guardian

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and has unsupervised access to a child; foster parent; an employee of a public or private

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residential home or facility; or any staff person providing out-of-home care (out-of-home care

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means child day care to include family day care, group day care, and center-based day care).

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Provided, further, that an individual, eighteen (18) years of age or older, who resides in the home

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of a parent or guardian and has unsupervised access to the child, shall not have the right to

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consent to the removal and examination of the child for the purposes of § 40-11-6.

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     (11)(12) "Physician" means any licensed doctor of medicine, licensed osteopathic

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physician, and any physician, intern, or resident of an institution as defined in subdivision (6).

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     (12)(13) "Probable cause" means facts and circumstances based upon as accurate and

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reliable information as possible that would justify a reasonable person to suspect that a child is

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abused or neglected. The facts and circumstances may include evidence of an injury, or injuries,

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and the statements of a person worthy of belief, even if there is no present evidence of injury.

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     (14) "Sex act" means sexual intercourse, cunnilingus, fellatio, anal intercourse, and

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digital intrusion or intrusion by any object into the genital opening or anal opening of another

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person's body or the stimulation by hand of another's genitals for the purposes of arousing or

 

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gratifying the sexual desire of either person.

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     (15) "Sexually-explicit performance" means an act or show, intended to arouse, satisfy

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the sexual desires of, or appeal to the prurient interests of patrons or viewers, whether public or

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private, live, photographed, recorded, or videotaped.

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     (13)(16) "Shaken-baby syndrome" means a form of abusive head trauma, characterized

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by a constellation of symptoms caused by other than accidental traumatic injury resulting from

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the violent shaking of and/or impact upon an infant or young child's head.

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     (17) "Victim of sex trafficking" means a minor, as defined in this chapter, who has been

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recruited, employed, enticed, solicited, isolated, harbored, transported, provided, persuaded,

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obtained, induced or maintained by force, fraud or coercion for the purposes of performing

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commercial sex acts.

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     SECTION 4. This act shall take effect upon passage.

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EXPLANATION

BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

OF

A N   A C T

RELATING TO CRIMINAL PROCEDURE -- DELINQUENT AND DEPENDENT

CHILDREN-- CRIMINAL INJURIES COMPENSATION-- SEXUALLY EXPLOITED

CHILDREN

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     This act would make sex trafficking victims eligible for benefits from the criminal

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injuries compensation fund, establish "safe harbor" provisions for sexually exploited children and

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designate them as abused and neglected children.

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     This act would take effect upon passage.

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