Plain English Breakdown
The official source does not specify what happens if a hospital employee commits this crime against someone outside their direct care but still at the facility.
Stricter Sentencing Factors for Sexual Battery in Hospitals
This law requires judges to consider it an aggravating factor if a hospital employee commits felony sexual battery against someone they were caring for or who was seeking medical care at that hospital.
What This Bill Does
- Requires courts to treat the defendant's employment at a hospital as an aggravating sentencing factor in felony sexual battery cases where the victim was in their care or seeking treatment there.
- Maintains existing penalties of up to four years in prison and fines for violations, which can be charged as misdemeanors or felonies.
Who It Names or Affects
- People convicted of felony sexual battery who were employed at the hospital where the crime occurred
- Victims who were under the care of a hospital employee or seeking medical treatment there when the offense happened
Terms To Know
- Aggravating factor
- A detail about a crime that allows a judge to give a longer sentence within the allowed range.
- Felony
- A serious type of crime punishable by imprisonment in state prison, as opposed to a misdemeanor which is less severe.
Limits and Unknowns
- The law only applies when the defendant was employed at the specific hospital where the offense occurred.
- This rule does not apply if the victim was merely visiting or working there without being in care or seeking medical treatment.
- The bill states no state reimbursement is required for local costs but does not specify the exact reason why.