This bill introduces significant amendments to New Jersey's laws regarding child sexual abuse and exploitation, establishing a distinct crime for the distribution and possession of materials depicting such exploitation, including manipulated images. It expands the definitions of child sexual abuse and exploitation material to encompass manipulated depictions that appear to involve identifiable children in prohibited sexual acts. The bill also revises penalties, categorizing a first-degree crime for possession of 1,000 or more items, while a second-degree crime applies to fewer items. Additionally, it updates the invasion of privacy statute to include manipulated depictions created without consent, ensuring that consent for recording does not imply consent for distribution.

Furthermore, the legislation enhances the legal framework surrounding the prosecution of offenses related to child exploitation by clarifying definitions and establishing stricter penalties for those leading networks that share such material. It aligns the thresholds for crimes with those for possession with intent to distribute, thereby improving clarity for law enforcement and legal proceedings. The bill aims to strengthen protections against child exploitation in the digital age, ensuring that legal definitions and penalties are updated to reflect current technological realities and to better safeguard vulnerable populations.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 2A:4A-71.1, 2A:53A-7.4, 2A:82-46, 2A:84A-16.1, 2A:84A-32.4, 2A:156A-8, 2A:162-12, 2A:162-19, 2A:168A-8, 2C:7-2, 2C:13-6, 2C:13-7, 2C:13-10, 2C:14-9, 2C:24-4.1, 2C:39-7, 2C:43-3.8, 2C:43-6.4, 2C:43-7.2, 2C:44-6.3, 3B:5-14.1, 5:12-86, 9:2-4.1, 9:3-40.5, 9:6-8.84, 9:6A-10, 18A:6-7.1, 30:4-3.5, 30:4-91.8, 30:4-91.9, 30:4-123.53, 30:4-123.54, 30:4C-26.8, 30:4C-27.19, 30:5B-6.14, 30:5B-25.7, 30:6D-64, 39:5G-2, 39:5H-20, 46:8-56, 46:8-59, 53:1-20.20, 2C:21-17.8