RCW 9.68A.040

Sexual exploitation of a minor—Elements of crime—Penalty.

Applied in 73 court decisions — leading case CJC v. Corporation of Catholic Bishop (1999)

Most recently applied in M.R. v. State (May 2025)

1989 c 32 s 2; 1984 c 262 s 3.

How often courts cite this section

citing decisions per year

Court decisions citing this, by year. The dip in the last several years is a data-coverage gap, not a real trend — our corpus holds fewer opinions from the most recent years, so recent citations are undercounted.

*** CHANGE IN 2026 *** (SEE 5105-S.SL) ***

(1) A person is guilty of sexual exploitation of a minor if the person:

(a) Compels a minor by threat or force to engage in sexually explicit conduct, knowing that such conduct will be photographed or part of a live performance;

(b) Aids, invites, employs, authorizes, or causes a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct, knowing that such conduct will be photographed or part of a live performance; or

(c) Being a parent, legal guardian, or person having custody or control of a minor, permits the minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct, knowing that the conduct will be photographed or part of a live performance.

(2) Sexual exploitation of a minor is a class B felony punishable under chapter 9A.20 RCW.

Official source: Washington State Legislature. Reproduced from public-domain Washington statutes; confirm against the official source for the current text. Not legal advice.