Effective: January 1, 2004
Latest Legislation: House Bill 490 - 124th General Assembly
(A) No person, with knowledge of its character or content, shall recklessly do any of the following:
(1) Directly sell, deliver, furnish, disseminate, provide, exhibit, rent, or present to a juvenile, a group of juveniles, a law enforcement officer posing as a juvenile, or a group of law enforcement officers posing as juveniles any material or performance that is obscene or harmful to juveniles;
(2) Directly offer or agree to sell, deliver, furnish, disseminate, provide, exhibit, rent, or present to a juvenile, a group of juveniles, a law enforcement officer posing as a juvenile, or a group of law enforcement officers posing as juveniles any material or performance that is obscene or harmful to juveniles;
(3) While in the physical proximity of the juvenile or law enforcement officer posing as a juvenile, allow any juvenile or law enforcement officer posing as a juvenile to review or peruse any material or view any live performance that is harmful to juveniles.
(B) The following are affirmative defenses to a charge under this section that involves material or a performance that is harmful to juveniles but not obscene:
(1) The defendant is the parent, guardian, or spouse of the juvenile involved.
(2) The juvenile involved, at the time of the conduct in question, was accompanied by the juvenile's parent or guardian who, with knowledge of its character, consented to the material or performance being furnished or presented to the juvenile.
(3) The juvenile exhibited to the defendant or to the defendant's agent or employee a draft card, driver's license, birth record, marriage license, or other official or apparently official document purporting to show that the juvenile was eighteen years of age or over or married, and the person to whom that document was exhibited did not otherwise have reasonable cause to believe that the juvenile was under the age of eighteen and unmarried.
(C)(1) It is an affirmative defense to a charge under this section, involving material or a performance that is obscene or harmful to juveniles, that the material or performance was furnished or presented for a bona fide medical, scientific, educational, governmental, judicial, or other proper purpose, by a physician, psychologist, sociologist, scientist, teacher, librarian, clergyman, prosecutor, judge, or other proper person.
(2) Except as provided in division (B)(3) of this section, mistake of age is not a defense to a charge under this section.
(D)(1) A person directly sells, delivers, furnishes, disseminates, provides, exhibits, rents, or presents or directly offers or agrees to sell, deliver, furnish, disseminate, provide, exhibit, rent, or present material or a performance to a juvenile, a group of juveniles, a law enforcement officer posing as a juvenile, or a group of law enforcement officers posing as juveniles in violation of this section by means of an electronic method of remotely transmitting information if the person knows or has reason to believe that the person receiving the information is a juvenile or the group of persons receiving the information are juveniles.
(2) A person remotely transmitting information by means of a method of mass distribution does not directly sell, deliver, furnish, disseminate, provide, exhibit, rent, or present or directly offer or agree to sell, deliver, furnish, disseminate, provide, exhibit, rent, or present the material or performance in question to a juvenile, a group of juveniles, a law enforcement officer posing as a juvenile, or a group of law enforcement officers posing as juveniles in violation of this section if either of the following applies:
(a) The person has inadequate information to know or have reason to believe that a particular recipient of the information or offer is a juvenile.
(b) The method of mass distribution does not provide the person the ability to prevent a particular recipient from receiving the information.
(E) If any provision of this section, or the application of any provision of this section to any person or circumstance, is held invalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions or applications of this section or related sections that can be given effect without the invalid provision or application. To this end, the provisions are severable.
(F) Whoever violates this section is guilty of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles. If the material or performance involved is harmful to juveniles, except as otherwise provided in this division, a violation of this section is a misdemeanor of the first degree. If the material or performance involved is obscene, except as otherwise provided in this division, a violation of this section is a felony of the fifth degree. If the material or performance involved is obscene and the juvenile to whom it is sold, delivered, furnished, disseminated, provided, exhibited, rented, or presented, the juvenile to whom the offer is made or who is the subject of the agreement, or the juvenile who is allowed to review, peruse, or view it is under thirteen years of age, violation of this section is a felony of the fourth degree.
Structure Ohio Revised Code
Section 2907.01 | Sex Offenses General Definitions.
Section 2907.03 | Sexual Battery.
Section 2907.04 | Unlawful Sexual Conduct With Minor.
Section 2907.05 | Gross Sexual Imposition.
Section 2907.06 | Sexual Imposition.
Section 2907.07 | Importuning.
Section 2907.09 | Public Indecency.
Section 2907.10 | Preliminary Polygraph Test of Sex Offense Victim.
Section 2907.11 | Suppression of Names of Victim and Offender and Details of the Alleged Offense.
Section 2907.171 | Prosecutor's Failure to Give Notice.
Section 2907.19 | Commercial Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.
Section 2907.21 | Compelling Prostitution.
Section 2907.22 | Promoting Prostitution.
Section 2907.231 | Engaging in Prostitution.
Section 2907.24 | Soliciting; Solicitation After a Positive HIV Test.
Section 2907.241 | Loitering to Engage in Solicitation - Solicitation After Positive HIV Test.
Section 2907.25 | Prostitution - After Positive HIV Test.
Section 2907.26 | Rules of Evidence in Brothel and Prostitution Cases.
Section 2907.27 | Testing and Treatment for Venereal Diseases and Hiv.
Section 2907.28 | Payment for Medical Examination and Test of Any Victim or Accused.
Section 2907.29 | Hospital Emergency Services for Victims of Sexual Offenses.
Section 2907.30 | Interview of Victim by Crisis Intervention Trained Officer.
Section 2907.31 | Disseminating Matter Harmful to Juveniles.
Section 2907.311 | Displaying Matter Harmful to Juveniles.
Section 2907.32 | Pandering Obscenity.
Section 2907.321 | Pandering Obscenity Involving a Minor or Impaired Person.
Section 2907.322 | Pandering Sexually Oriented Matter Involving a Minor or Impaired Person.
Section 2907.33 | Deception to Obtain Matter Harmful to Juveniles.
Section 2907.34 | Compelling Acceptance of Objectionable Materials.
Section 2907.35 | Presumptions in Obscenity Cases.
Section 2907.36 | Declaratory Judgment Action.
Section 2907.37 | Injunction - Nuisance.
Section 2907.38 | Permitting Unlawful Operation of Viewing Booths Depicting Sexual Conduct.
Section 2907.40 | Illegally Operating Sexually Oriented Business.
Section 2907.41 | Person Charged With Subsequent Sexual Offense - Setting of Bail.