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Sex Related Offenses

Aggravated rape of a child

(a) Aggravated rape of a child is the unlawful sexual penetration of a victim by the defendant or the defendant by a victim, if the victim is three (3) years of age or less.

(b) Aggravated rape of a child is a Class A felony and shall be sentenced within Range III, as set forth in Title 40, Chapter 35.

Rape of a child

(a) Rape of a child is the unlawful sexual penetration of a victim by the defendant or the defendant by a victim, if the victim is more than three (3) years of age but less than thirteen (13) years of age.

(b)(1) Rape of a child is a Class A felony.

(2)(A) Notwithstanding title 40, chapter 35, a person convicted of a first or subsequent violation of this section shall be punished by a minimum period of imprisonment of twenty-five (25) years. The sentence imposed upon any such person may, if appropriate, exceed twenty-five (25) years, but in no case shall it be less than the minimum period of twenty-five (25) years.

(B) Section 39-13-525(a) shall not apply to a person sentenced under this subdivision (b)(2).

(C) Notwithstanding any law to the contrary, the board of probation and parole may require, as a mandatory condition of supervision for any person convicted under this section, that the person be enrolled in a satellite-based monitoring program for the full extent of the person's term of supervision consistent with the requirements of § 40-39-302.

Aggravated rape

(a) Aggravated rape is unlawful sexual penetration of a victim by the defendant or the defendant by a victim accompanied by any of the following circumstances:

(1) Force or coercion is used to accomplish the act and the defendant is armed with a weapon or any article used or fashioned in a manner to lead the victim reasonably to believe it to be a weapon;

(2) The defendant causes bodily injury to the victim;

(3) The defendant is aided or abetted by one (1) or more other persons; and

(A) Force or coercion is used to accomplish the act; or

(B) The defendant knows or has reason to know that the victim is mentally defective, mentally incapacitated or physically helpless.

(b) Aggravated rape is a Class A felony.

Rape

(a) Rape is unlawful sexual penetration of a victim by the defendant or of the defendant by a victim accompanied by any of the following circumstances:

(1) Force or coercion is used to accomplish the act;

(2) The sexual penetration is accomplished without the consent of the victim and the defendant knows or has reason to know at the time of the penetration that the victim did not consent;

(3) The defendant knows or has reason to know that the victim is mentally defective, mentally incapacitated or physically helpless; or

(4) The sexual penetration is accomplished by fraud.

(b) Rape is a Class B felony.

Aggravated sexual battery

(a) Aggravated sexual battery is unlawful sexual contact with a victim by the defendant or the defendant by a victim accompanied by any of the following circumstances:

(1) Force or coercion is used to accomplish the act and the defendant is armed with a weapon or any article used or fashioned in a manner to lead the victim reasonably to believe it to be a weapon;

(2) The defendant causes bodily injury to the victim;

(3) The defendant is aided or abetted by one (1) or more other persons; and

(A) Force or coercion is used to accomplish the act; or

(B) The defendant knows or has reason to know that the victim is mentally defective, mentally incapacitated or physically helpless; or

(4) The victim is less than thirteen (13) years of age.

(b) Aggravated sexual battery is a Class B felony.

Authority figure; sexual battery; penalty

(a) Sexual battery by an authority figure is unlawful sexual contact with a victim by the defendant or the defendant by a victim accompanied by the following circumstances:

(1) The victim was, at the time of the offense, thirteen (13) years of age or older but less then eighteen (18) years of age; or

(2) The victim was, at the time of the offense, mentally defective, mentally incapacitated or physically helpless, regardless of age; and,

(3)(A) The defendant was at the time of the offense in a position of trust, or had supervisory or disciplinary power over the victim by virtue of the defendant's legal, professional or occupational status and used the position of trust or power to accomplish the sexual contact; or

(B) The defendant had, at the time of the offense, parental or custodial authority over the victim and used the authority to accomplish the sexual contact.

(b) Sexual battery by an authority figure is a Class C felony.

Sexual battery

(a) Sexual battery is unlawful sexual contact with a victim by the defendant or the defendant by a victim accompanied by any of the following circumstances:

(1) Force or coercion is used to accomplish the act;

(2) The sexual contact is accomplished without the consent of the victim and the defendant knows or has reason to know at the time of the contact that the victim did not consent;

(3) The defendant knows or has reason to know that the victim is mentally defective, mentally incapacitated or physically helpless; or

(4) The sexual contact is accomplished by fraud.

(b) As used in this section, "coercion" means the threat of kidnapping, extortion, force or violence to be performed immediately or in the future.

(c) Sexual battery is a Class E felony.

Statutory rape by an authority figure; penalty

(a) Statutory rape by an authority figure is the unlawful sexual penetration of a victim by the defendant or of the defendant by the victim when:

(1) The victim is at least thirteen (13) but less than eighteen (18) years of age;

(2) The defendant is at least four (4) years older than the victim; and

(3) The defendant was, at the time of the offense, in a position of trust, or had supervisory or disciplinary power over the victim by virtue of the defendant's legal, professional, or occupational status and used the position of trust or power to accomplish the sexual penetration; or

(4) The defendant had, at the time of the offense, parental or custodial authority over the victim and used the authority to accomplish the sexual penetration.

(b) Statutory rape by an authority figure is a Class C felony and no person who is found guilty of or pleads guilty to the offense shall be eligible for probation pursuant to § 40-35-303 or judicial diversion pursuant to § 40-35-313.

Mitigated statutory rape; statutory rape; aggravated statutory rape; penalties

(a) Mitigated statutory rape is the unlawful sexual penetration of a victim by the defendant, or of the defendant by the victim when the victim is at least fifteen (15) but less than eighteen (18) years of age and the defendant is at least four (4) but not more than five (5) years older than the victim.

(b) Statutory rape is the unlawful sexual penetration of a victim by the defendant or of the defendant by the victim when:

(1) The victim is at least thirteen (13) but less than fifteen (15) years of age and the defendant is at least four (4) years but less than ten (10) years older than the victim; or

(2) The victim is at least fifteen (15) but less than eighteen (18) years of age and the defendant is more than five (5) but less than ten (10) years older than the victim.

(c) Aggravated statutory rape is the unlawful sexual penetration of a victim by the defendant, or of the defendant by the victim when the victim is at least thirteen (13) but less than eighteen (18) years of age and the defendant is at least ten (10) years older than the victim.

(d)(1) Mitigated statutory rape is a Class E felony.

(2) Statutory rape is a Class E felony.

(3) Aggravated statutory rape is a Class D felony.

Indecent exposure; penalties; exception for breastfeeding

(a)(1)(A) A person commits the offense of public indecency who, in a public place, as defined in subdivision (a)(2)(B), knowingly or intentionally:

(i) Engages in sexual intercourse, masturbation, sodomy, bestiality, oral copulation, flagellation, excretory functions or other ultimate sex acts;

(ii) Appears in a state of nudity; or

(iii) Fondles the genitals of the person, or another person.

(B) A person does not violate subdivision (a)(1)(A) if the person makes intentional and reasonable attempts to conceal the person from public view while performing an excretory function, and the person performs the function in an unincorporated area of the state.

(2) As used in subdivision (a)(1):

(A) "Nudity" or "state of nudity" means the showing of the bare human male or female genitals or pubic area with less than a fully opaque covering, the showing of the female breast with less than a fully opaque covering of the areola, or the showing of the covered male genitals in a discernibly turgid state. "Nudity" or "state of nudity" does not include a mother in the act of nursing the mother's baby; and

(B) (i) "Public place" means any location frequented by the public, or where the public is present or likely to be present, or where a person may reasonably be expected to be observed by members of the public. "Public place" includes, but is not limited to, streets, sidewalks, parks, beaches, business and commercial establishments, whether for profit or not-for-profit and whether open to the public at large or where entrance is limited by a cover charge or membership requirement, bottle clubs, hotels, motels, restaurants, night clubs, country clubs, cabarets and meeting facilities utilized by any religious, social, fraternal or similar organizations.

(ii) Premises used solely as a private residence, whether permanent or temporary in nature, are not deemed to be a public place. "Public place" does not include enclosed single sex public restrooms, enclosed single sex functional showers, locker or dressing room facilities, enclosed motel rooms and hotel rooms designed and intended for sleeping accommodations, doctors' offices, portions of hospitals and similar places in which nudity or exposure is necessarily and customarily expected outside of the home and the sphere of privacy constitutionally protected therein; nor does it include a person appearing in a state of nudity in a modeling class operated by a proprietary school, licensed by the state of Tennessee, a college, junior college, or university supported entirely or partly by taxation, or a private college or university where such private college or university maintains and operates educational programs in which credits are transferable to a college, junior college, or university supported entirely or partly by taxation or an accredited private college. "Public place" does not include a private facility that has been formed as a family-oriented clothing optional facility, properly licensed by the state.

(3) Public indecency is punishable as follows:

(A) A first or second offense is a Class B misdemeanor punishable only by a fine of five hundred dollars ($500); and

(B) A third or subsequent offense is a Class A misdemeanor punishable by a fine of one thousand five hundred dollars ($1,500) or confinement for not more than eleven (11) months and twenty-nine (29) days, or both.

(4)(A) If a person is arrested for public indecency while working as an employee or a contractor, the employer or principal may be held liable for a fine imposed by subdivision (a)(3).

(B) The employer may not be held liable under this section, unless it is shown the employer knew or should have known the acts of the employee or contractor were in violation of this section.

(5) This subsection (a) does not apply to any theatrical production that contains nudity as defined by this section, performed in a theater by a professional or amateur theatrical or musical company that has serious artistic merit; provided, that the production is not in violation of chapter 17, part 9 of this title.

(6) This subsection (a) shall not affect in any fashion the ability of local jurisdictions or the state of Tennessee to regulate any activity where alcoholic beverages, including malt beverages, are sold for consumption.

(b)(1) A person commits the offense of indecent exposure who:

(A) In a public place, as defined in § 39-11-106, or on the private premises of another, or so near thereto as to be seen from the private premises:

(i) Intentionally:

(a) Exposes the person's genitals or buttocks to another; or

(b) Engages in sexual contact or sexual penetration as defined in § 39-13-501; and

(ii) Reasonably expects that the acts will be viewed by another and the acts:

(a) Will offend an ordinary viewer; or

(b) Are for the purpose of sexual arousal and gratification of the defendant; or

(B)(i) Knowingly invites, entices or fraudulently induces the child of another into the person's residence for the purpose of attaining sexual arousal or gratification by intentionally engaging in the following conduct in the presence of the child:

(a) Exposure of such person's genitals, buttocks or female breasts; or

(b) Masturbation.

(ii) For the provisions of subdivision (b)(1)(B)(i) to apply, the defendant must be eighteen (18) years of age or older and the child victim must be less than thirteen (13) years of age.

(2) "Indecent exposure," as defined in subdivision (b)(1), is a Class B misdemeanor, unless the defendant is eighteen (18) years of age or older and the victim is under thirteen (13) years of age, in which event, indecent exposure is a Class A misdemeanor. Additionally, "indecent exposure," as defined in subdivision (b)(1), is a Class E felony when the defendant is eighteen (18) years of age or older, the victim is under thirteen (13) years of age, and the defendant has any combination of two (2) or more prior convictions under this section.

(c)(1) A person confined in a penal institution, as defined in § 39-16-601, commits the offense of indecent exposure who with the intent to abuse, torment, harass or embarrass a guard:

(A) Intentionally exposes the person's genitals or buttocks to the guard; or

(B) Engages in sexual contact as defined in § 39-13-501.

(2) For purposes of this subsection (c), "guard" means any sheriff, jailer, guard, correctional officer or other authorized personnel charged with the custody of the person.

(3) Notwithstanding subdivision (b)(2), a violation of this subsection (c) is a Class A misdemeanor.

(d) This section does not apply to a mother who is breastfeeding her child who is twelve (12) months of age or younger in any location, public or private.

Prostitution

(a) A person commits an offense under this section who engages in prostitution.

(b)(1) Prostitution is a Class B misdemeanor.

(2) Prostitution committed within one hundred feet (100′) of a church or within one and one-half (1 1/2 ) miles of a school, such distance being that established by § 49-6-2101, for state-funded school transportation, is a Class A misdemeanor.

(3) A person convicted of prostitution within one and one-half (1 1/2 ) miles of a school shall, in addition to any other authorized punishment, be sentenced to at least seven (7) days of incarceration and be fined at least one thousand dollars ($1,000).

(c) As used in subsection (b), "school" means all public and private schools that conduct classes in any grade from kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12).

Patronizing prostitution

(a) A person commits an offense under this section who patronizes prostitution.

(b)(1) Patronizing prostitution is a Class B misdemeanor.

(2) Patronizing prostitution within one hundred feet (100′) of a church or within one and one-half (1 1/2) miles of a school, such distance being that established by § 49-6-2101, for state-funded school transportation, is a Class A misdemeanor.

(3) A person convicted of patronizing prostitution within one and one-half (1 1/2 ) miles of a school shall, in addition to any other authorized punishment, be sentenced to at least seven (7) days of incarceration and be fined at least one thousand dollars ($1,000).

(c) As used in subsection (b), "school" means all public and private schools that conduct classes in any grade from kindergarten through grade twelve (K-12).

Promoting prostitution

A person commits an offense under this section who promotes prostitution. Promoting prostitution is a Class E felony.

Aggravated prostitution

(a) A person commits aggravated prostitution when, knowing that such person is infected with HIV, the person engages in sexual activity as a business or is an inmate in a house of prostitution or loiters in a public place for the purpose of being hired to engage in sexual activity.

(b) For the purposes of this section, "HIV" means the human immunodeficiency virus or any other identified causative agent of acquired immunodeficiency syndrome.

(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require that an infection with HIV has occurred in order for a person to have committed aggravated prostitution.

(d) Aggravated prostitution is a Class C felony.

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