§ 2827 - Possession of child pornography - Vermont Statutes

§ 2827. Possession of child pornography

(a) No person shall, with knowledge of the character and content, possess any photograph, film or visual depiction, including any depiction which is stored electronically, of sexual conduct by a child or of a clearly lewd exhibition of a child's genitals or anus.

(b) This section does not apply:

(1) if the depiction was possessed for a bona fide medical, psychological, social work, legislative, judicial or law enforcement purpose, by a physician, psychologist, social worker, legislator, judge, prosecutor, law enforcement officer, or other person having such a bona fide interest in the subject matter;

(2) if the person was a bona fide school, museum or public library, or was a person acting in the course of employment as an employee or official of such an organization or of a retail outlet affiliated with and serving the educational or intended purpose of that school, museum or library;

(3) to paintings, drawings, or nonvisual or written descriptions of sexual conduct.

(c) In any prosecution arising under this section, the defendant may raise any of the following affirmative defenses, which shall be proven by a preponderance of the evidence:

(1) that the defendant in good faith had a reasonable basis to conclude that the child in fact had attained the age of 16 when the depiction was made;

(2) that the defendant in good faith took reasonable steps, whether successful or not, to destroy or eliminate the depiction. (Added 1999, No. 122 (Adj. Sess.), § 5.)