Alabama Sen. Gerald Allen, R-Tuscaloosa, is hoping to increase penalties for Alabamians who threaten to release sexually explicit material of another person as means of extortion, a practice sometimes referred to as “revenge pornography.”
Senate Bill 35, prefiled on Dec. 31, roughly a month ahead of the 2025 legislative session, and would expand the crime of sexual extortion to include instances where an individual threatens to release sexually explicit images or videos of another person as a means to compel action.
The crime of sexual extortion currently only applies to instances where an individual causes or attempts to cause another person to engage in sexual acts or activities under threat of bodily injury, destruction of property or reputation. It is a Class B felony, punishable with up to 20 years in prison and a fine of up to $30,000.
The bill is scheduled to first be heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee once lawmakers convene for the 2025 legislative session in early February.
Other bills
Alabama lawmakers have adopted a number of bills in recent years increasing criminal penalties for sexual crimes in Alabama, among the more recent examples being the Sound of Freedom Act, which its sponsor, Rep. Donna Givens, R-Loxley, described as the “toughest law in the nation” for human trafficking of minors. The new law mandates an automatic life sentence for anyone convicted of trafficking a minor.
Rep. Matt Simpson, R-Daphne, filed a bill in October for the upcoming legislative session that would impose a mandatory death sentence for those convicted of rape of a victim younger than six years old.
State lawmakers have also sought to more closely regulate pornography, with Alabama lawmakers adopting legislation last year to require pornography websites to verify users’ ages via identification, a law that has seen pornography websites restrict access to Alabamians entirely. Another bill adopted last year sought to criminalize certain types of pornography generated using generative artificial intelligence, specifically pornography that depicts children.
EDITOR’S NOTE — This story was written by Alexander Willis and originally published by Alabama Daily News. It is reprinted with permission.
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