Plain English Breakdown
The source text uses the phrase 'as specified' regarding inspection availability but does not detail those specifications in this summary.
AB-528: Rules for Handling Child Pornography Evidence
This law stops people from copying child pornography evidence and requires that the original materials stay under government control while remaining available for inspection.
What This Bill Does
- Removes rules that allowed attorneys to share copies of child pornography with defendants, their families, or court-appointed helpers.
- Requires all physical items containing child pornography to remain in the care and custody of law enforcement, prosecutors, or courts.
- Prohibits defendants, attorneys, and others from copying, photographing, duplicating, or reproducing any material that is child pornography.
- Mandates that prosecutors make the original evidence available for inspection by the defendant as specified in the bill.
- Requires that this evidence also be made available to victims, their attorneys, and individuals who may provide expert testimony.
Who It Names or Affects
- Defendants charged with offenses involving child pornography
- Attorneys representing defendants or victims
- Law enforcement agencies holding the evidence
- Prosecuting attorneys
Terms To Know
- Child pornography
- Material defined by law as illegal images or videos involving minors.
- Inspection and examination
- The act of looking at the original evidence without making copies of it.
Limits and Unknowns
- Reimbursement for costs depends on a future decision by the Commission on State Mandates.
- The bill does not specify exactly how or when prosecutors must make materials available, only that they be reasonably available as specified.