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Matter Harmful to Juveniles

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Displaying Matter Harmful to Juveniles (O.R.C. 2907.311)

Displaying Matter Harmful to Juveniles (ORC 2907.311) is a charge typically reserved for Cleveland business owners or those who manage commercial establishments that have displayed obscene material and are facing criminal charges. Displaying matter harmful to juveniles is designed to restrain businesses from openly displaying material that is harmful to juveniles and that is in open view of juveniles, as part of the invited general public. Use of “blinder racks” and related devices that will cover potentially obscene magazines or other material is specifically cited in the statute. The penalties for displaying matter harmful to juveniles are problematic for business owners, each day during which the business is in violation of the law is considered a separate offense, which is a First Degree Misdemeanor carrying the risk of six months in jail for each offense.

If your business has run afoul of ORC 2907.311 displaying matter harmful to juveniles, you have options. The most important thing you can do after being charged with displaying matter harmful to juveniles is to contact an experienced Cleveland sex crimes attorney.

Disseminating Matter Harmful To Juveniles (O.R.C. 2907.31)

Disseminating Matter Harmful to Juveniles (ORC 2907.31) in Cleveland is a charge centered around the idea that you, as an adult, provided to a juvenile material considered harmful or obscene, or access to performances considered harmful or obscene. The charge can be filed even if you don’t actually provide the material in question to juveniles, but a law enforcement officer posing as a juvenile. The grade of the charge varies based on the specific material in question. The associated penalties for disseminating matter harmful to juveniles charges are typically based on a First Degree Misdemeanor, which can carry a six-month jail sentence.

Material that is considered obscene, when provided to juveniles, constitutes a felony of either the Fifth (12 months maximum prison sentence) or Fourth (18 months maximum prison sentence) degree, depending on the child’s age. We are experienced as both prosecutors and criminal defense attorneys, which means you’ll get the very best legal defense in Cleveland for your disseminating matter harmful to juveniles case.

Deception to Obtain Matter Harmful to Juveniles (O.R.C. 2907.33)

Prosecutors take issues of child protection seriously; when an adult engages in conduct that inappropriately allows juveniles access to materials or performances to which they are normally forbidden, the adult can be charged with a Second Degree Misdemeanor, deception to obtain matter harmful to juveniles (O.R.C. 2907.33). Falsely representing yourself as the parent, guardian, or spouse of a juvenile in order to help the juvenile gain access to prohibited material or performances is one way to run afoul of ORC 2907.33 in Cleveland. More commonly, providing a juvenile with identification or other documents showing that a juvenile is 18 or older, or married, is another way to violate laws associated with Deception To Obtain Matter Harmful To Juveniles. This is a Second Degree Misdemeanor in Cleveland, and conviction can put you in jail for as long as 90 days.