Idaho Bills

Amends existing law to revise a provision regarding enticing a child through use of the internet or other communication device.

The legislation aims to provide law enforcement increased latitude needed to protect Idaho youth on the internet. Predators use the internet to entice minors to perform unwholesome behaviors. The current law only specifies penalties for perpetrators who prey on children under the age of 16. This legislation extends the definition of “child” to include minors that are 16 or 17 years of age. However, this legislation builds in protection against “Romeo-Juliet” scenarios where the initiator is less than 5 years older than the victim. This is consistent with other Idaho Code. 18-1508A makes it a felony "for any person at least (5) years of age older than a minor child who is sixteen (16) or seventeen (17) years of age" to sexually batter such minor child. Similarly, statutory rape applies for 16- and 17-year-old victims only where "the perpetrator is three (3) years or more older than the victim." Idaho Code 18-6101(2). The majority of victims for this kind of crime are 13 to 17 years of age. This legislation allows law enforcement to protect more victims in that age range. This legislation not only expands the age range for victims, in so doing it provides greater protection against exploiting youth (Idaho Code 18-1507).