AR HB1934

Defendants convicted of certain child sex offenses at age 18 or older shall receive life imprisonment without possibility of parole if the victim was under 14 years old, including: rape with forcible compulsion, trafficking of persons, engaging children in sexually explicit conduct, transportation of minors for sexual conduct, producing sexual performances by children, and computer exploitation of a child in the first degree.

Rape involving a victim under 14 years old now carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 25 years imprisonment, except for those sentenced to life without parole under the new provisions.

Several sex offenses are reclassified to Class Y felonies: engaging children in sexually explicit conduct (previously Class B/A), transportation of minors for prohibited sexual conduct (previously Class A), producing sexual performances by children (previously Class B), and computer exploitation of a child in first degree (previously Class B/A).

Individuals convicted under the new mandatory life-without-parole provisions are excluded from parole eligibility and standard transfer procedures to community correction programs.

Bill approved May 3, 2021, and applies to offenses committed by defendants age 18 or older at time of offense.