If enacted, this bill would amend Arizona Revised Statutes section 13-412 to expand the list of offenses for which the duress defense is unavailable. Currently, the duress defense is not applicable if the individual intentionally, knowingly, or recklessly placed themselves in a situation likely to result in duress, or if the offense involves homicide or serious physical injury. The bill would maintain this provision while adding specific offenses to the list, including child sex trafficking, failure to report child abuse, child or vulnerable adult abuse, sexual offenses, and the sexual exploitation of children.

Additionally, the bill would make technical changes to the language of the statute, such as replacing certain phrases for clarity. For example, it would replace "which" with "that" in several instances and reformat the structure of the subsections to improve readability. Overall, the bill aims to clarify and strengthen the legal framework surrounding the duress defense in Arizona by explicitly outlining additional offenses where this defense cannot be claimed.

Statutes affected:
Introduced Version: 13-412