Massachusetts
Massachusetts General Laws — Part IV, Title I, Crimes and Punishments
768 sections, each with the official text and a plain-English explanation of what it means for you.
- § 271:8 — Permitting lotteries, raffles and games of chance in buildings
- § 271:9 — Lottery tickets; sale, or possession
- § 271A:1 — Definitions
- § 271A:2 — Enterprise crime; penalties
- § 271A:3 — Seizure and forfeiture of proceeds or property obtained as result of violation of chapter
- § 272:1 — Enticing away person under 16 for marriage
- § 272:10 — Arrest without warrant
- § 272:104 — Security for seizure and impoundment of animals relating to cruelty to animals or animal fighting
- § 272:105 — Photographing, videotaping or electronically surveilling partially nude or nude person or the sexual or other intimate parts of a person around the person's clothing; exceptions; punishment
- § 272:106 — Stolen valor; penalty
- § 272:107 — Transmission of certain fines to state treasurer for deposit into Victims of Human Trafficking Trust Fund
- § 272:11 — Corroboration of one witness; limitations
- § 272:12 — Procuring person to practice, or enter a place for, prostitution; employment office procuring person
- § 272:13 — Detaining, or drugging to detain, person in place for prostitution
- § 272:15 — Polygamy
- § 272:16 — Open and gross lewdness and lascivious behavior
- § 272:17 — Incestuous marriage or sexual activities
- § 272:2 — Enticing away person for prostitution or sexual intercourse
- § 272:21A — Furnishing drugs, articles or information for prevention of pregnancy or conception
- § 272:21B — Privately controlled hospital or health facility; abortion or sterilization procedures; contraceptive devices and family planning services
- § 272:22 — Concealment of death of child born out of wedlock
- § 272:23 — Joinder of charges of murder and offense under Sec. 22
- § 272:24 — Keeping house of ill fame
- § 272:25 — Obstructing view of restaurant or tavern patrons; barricaded entrances
- § 272:26 — Resorting to restaurants or taverns for immoral purposes
- § 272:27 — Record of convictions under Sec. 25 or Sec. 26 sent to licensing officers
- § 272:28 — Matter harmful to minors, dissemination; possession; defenses
- § 272:28C — Information or petition against obscene books; order of notice to show cause; notice of order; interlocutory adjudication; defense
- § 272:28D — Answer to notice; right to jury trial
- § 272:28E — Order of default; adjudication
- § 272:28F — Hearing; evidence; adjudication
- § 272:28G — Objection that mere judgment sought and no relief claimed on issue of knowledge
- § 272:28H — Proceeding under Sec. 28C as evidence in trial under Sec. 29; presumptions as to knowledge
- § 272:28I — Certain procedures as condition precedent to institution of proceedings for dissemination of obscene books
- § 272:29 — Dissemination or possession of obscene matter; punishment; defense
- § 272:29A — Posing or exhibiting child in state of nudity or sexual conduct; punishment
- § 272:29B — Dissemination of visual material of child in state of nudity or sexual conduct; punishment
- § 272:29C — Knowing purchase or possession of visual material of child depicted in sexual conduct; punishment
- § 272:29D — Possession, purchase or dissemination by minor of visual material of child in state of nudity or depicted in sexual conduct; punishment
- § 272:3 — Drugging persons for sexual intercourse
- § 272:30 — Injunctive relief against dissemination of obscene matter; jurisdiction; procedures; appeal
- § 272:30D — Dissemination of visual material of child in state of nudity or sexual conduct; injunction; jurisdiction
- § 272:31 — Definitions
- § 272:32 — Motion picture theater managers or operators; applicability of Secs. 28, 29 and 29A
- § 272:33 — Exhibition of deformities
- § 272:34 — Crime against nature
- § 272:35 — Unnatural and lascivious acts
- § 272:35A — Unnatural and lascivious acts with child under 16
- § 272:36 — Blasphemy
- § 272:36A — Sporting events; penalty for abuse of participants and officials
- § 272:38 — Disturbance of assembly for worship
- § 272:39 — Selling goods and provisions, caring for horses, illegal gaming, horse racing or exhibits near camp meetings
- § 272:4 — Inducing person under eighteen to have sexual intercourse
- § 272:40 — Disturbance of assemblies; conduct of students on school grounds or in the course of school-related events
- § 272:40A — Alcoholic beverages; gift, sale, delivery or possession on public school premises
- § 272:41 — Disturbance of libraries
- § 272:42 — Disturbance of funerals
- § 272:42A — Disturbance of funeral services
- § 272:42B — Disturbance of military funeral service; penalty
- § 272:43 — Disorderliness in public conveyances; disturbance of travelers
- § 272:43A — Smoking or carrying open flame or lighted match, pipe or tobacco product in public conveyances and transportation terminals
- § 272:4A — Inducing minor into prostitution
- § 272:4B — Living off or sharing earnings of minor prostitute
- § 272:53 — Penalty for certain offenses
- § 272:53A — Engaging in sexual conduct for a fee; engaging in sexual conduct with child under age 18 for a fee; penalties
- § 272:54 — Apprehension for certain offences, without warrant; custody
- § 272:56 — Subsequent offenses; breach of recognizance on appeal
- § 272:57 — Discharge upon recognizance; payment of expenses of prosecution
- § 272:58 — Employing or permitting employment of minor under 15 to beg
- § 272:59 — Ordinances or regulations relating to streets, reservations, or parkways; alcoholic beverages; profanity; arrest without warrant
- § 272:6 — Owner of place inducing or suffering person to resort in such place for sexual intercourse
- § 272:60 — Disposal of rubbish, etc.; refusal to remove; arrest without warrant
- § 272:61 — Conviction after discharge from sentence under Sec. 53
- § 272:62 — Third conviction of being a common nightwalker
- § 272:63 — Tramps; begging or riding freight trains as prima facie evidence
- § 272:64 — Tramps; punishment; entering buildings; injuries to or threats against persons or property; carrying weapons
- § 272:65 — Arrest of tramps without warrant; making complaint
- § 272:66 — Vagrants
- § 272:67 — Vagrants; arrest without warrant; taking before court; complaint
- § 272:68 — Vagabonds
- § 272:69 — Vagabonds; arrest without warrant; taking before court; complaint
- § 272:7 — Support from, or sharing, earnings of prostitute
- § 272:70 — Taking dead body on process or execution
- § 272:71 — Disinterring bodies
- § 272:72 — Buying, selling or possessing dead bodies
- § 272:73 — Tombs, graves, memorials, trees, plants; injuring, removing
- § 272:73A — Removal of gravestones and other memorials for repair or reproduction
- § 272:73B — Sale of or attempt to sell stolen commemorative grave marker; receipt, retention or disposal of stolen commemorative grave marker
- § 272:74 — Desecrating place of burial; use and occupation as evidence of title
- § 272:75 — Removal of flowers, flags or memorial tokens from burial lot
- § 272:76 — Ways, railroads, canals or public easements through burial grounds
- § 272:77 — Cruelty to animals; prohibition from work involving contact with animals
- § 272:77A — Willfully injuring police dogs and horses
- § 272:77B — Exhibition of wild animals
- § 272:77C — Sexual contact with animal
- § 272:78 — Selling, leading, or using horses not fit for work; forfeiture of auctioneer's license
- § 272:78A — Sale of foals under five months; penalty
- § 272:79 — Violations by business entities of statutes relating to the treatment, care and protection of animals
- § 272:79A — Cutting bones or muscles to dock or set tail of horse; wound as evidence
- § 272:79B — Exhibiting horse with tail cut under Sec. 79A; affidavit as to cutting in state where not prohibited; inspection
- § 272:8 — Soliciting for prostitute
- § 272:80A — Cropping or cutting off ear of dog; wound as prima facie evidence
- § 272:80B — Exhibiting dogs with ears cropped or cut off
- § 272:80C — Taking cat, dog or bird to exhibit it, subject it to experimentation or mutilation, or to sell it for such purposes; application of law
- § 272:80D — Living rabbits, baby chickens, ducklings or other fowl; sale, barter or gift
- § 272:80E — Putting animal to death by use of decompression chamber
- § 272:80F — Giving away live animals as prize or award
- § 272:80G — Experiments on vertebrates; vivisection, dissection of animals; care
- § 272:80H — Motor vehicles; striking, injuring or killing dogs or cats
- § 272:80I — Leasing or renting dogs; penalties
- § 272:81 — Rest, water and feed for transported animals; lien; liability for detention
- § 272:82 — Arrest without warrant for violation of Sec. 77 or 81; notice; care of animals; lien
- § 272:83 — Complaint, warrant and search relative to cruelty to animals
- § 272:84 — Prosecutions under Secs. 77 to 81
- § 272:85A — Injuring, taking away or harboring domesticated animals or birds; removal of dog license tag, collar or harness; imitation tag
- § 272:85B — Assistance animals stolen or attacked; actions for economic and non-economic damages
- § 272:86 — Stabling horses or mules on second or higher floors, in places other than cities
- § 272:86A — Stabling horses and mules above first floor; exceeding six; fire exits
- § 272:86B — Stabling horses or mules exceeding fifteen
- § 272:86C — Smoking in buildings used for stabling horses or mules
- § 272:86D — Pails of water and sand in buildings used for stables
- § 272:86E — Entry upon premises to enforce Secs. 86A to 86D; orders
- § 272:86F — Violation of Secs. 86 to 86D; refusal or neglect to comply with Sec. 86E orders
- § 272:87 — Keeping or using birds to be shot at; shooting them; permitting premises to be used for shooting
- § 272:88 — Complaints and warrants relative to fighting animals; searches; arrests
- § 272:89 — Exhibition place of fighting animals; entry without warrant; arrests; seizure of animals
- § 272:9 — Oath and warrant to enter place for prostitution; detention of person in control and prostitute; recognizance to appear as witness
- § 272:90 — Custody of arrested persons; time limitation
- § 272:91 — Forfeiture of animal or property used or employed in violation of Sec. 94; application; notice; hearing; adjudication; assessment of forfeited animal for suitability for adoption; transfer or other disposition of animal
- § 272:92 — Appeal; recognizance; custody and disposition of animals
- § 272:92A — Advertisement, book, notice or sign relative to discrimination; definition of place of public accommodation, resort or amusement
- § 272:93 — Expenses of care and destruction of fighting animals
- § 272:94 — Owning, possessing or training fighting animals; establishing or promoting exhibition; loaning, selling or exporting fighting animals; owning or possessing animals for breeding fighting animals
- § 272:95 — Aiding or being present at exhibition of fighting animals
- § 272:96 — False notice of birth, marriage or death
- § 272:97A — Demands, notices or other documents resembling court process; complaint; order to discontinue
- § 272:98 — Discrimination in admission to, or treatment in, place of public accommodation; punishment; forfeiture; civil right
- § 272:98A — Persons with physical disabilities with dog guides; public places or conveyances; charges or fares; penalties
- § 272:98B — Discrimination in employment on public works or in public relief or transitional assistance
- § 272:98C — Libel; groups of persons; defenses; punishment; prosecutions
- § 272:99 — Interception of wire and oral communications
- § 272:99A — Jury deliberations; overhearing by use of devices
- § 273:1 — Abandonment and nonsupport; failure to comply with support order; decree establishing rights of spouse as prima facie evidence
- § 273:10 — Uniform construction
- § 273:15 — Duty to support child born out of wedlock; conclusiveness of adjudication or acknowledgment of paternity
- § 273:15A — Abandonment and willful nonsupport; penalties; alternative sentencing; restitution
- § 273:15B — Receiving, concealing or transferring assets for the purpose of avoiding payment; penalty
- § 273:16 — Proceedings under Secs. 1 and 15
- § 273:17 — Dismissal of case
- § 273:18 — Money forfeited or recovered upon recognizance or deposit used for support
- § 273:18A — Support obligations under prior law; enforcement; insurance coverage; amended orders
- § 273:2 — Jurisdiction; venue; supervision of parent by municipal or district court probation officers
- § 273:20 — Neglect or refusal to support parent
- § 273:21 — Venue; complainants
- § 273:22 — Orders; applicability of Secs. 1 to 10 of this chapter
- § 273:23 — Needy persons with disabilities; neglect or refusal of parents to support; penalty
- § 273:3 — Payment of fines
- § 273:6 — Recognizance on release on probation; compliance with judgment or order for support; forfeiture
- § 273:7 — Evidence of marriage and parentage; husband and wife as witnesses; self incrimination; evidence of wilfulness; confidential communications
- § 273:8 — Lack of custody as defence; duty to support child
- § 274:1 — Felonies and misdemeanors
- § 274:2 — Aiders; accessories before fact; punishment
- § 274:3 — Counselling or procuring felony; prosecution as accessory before fact or principal; punishment; venue
- § 274:4 — Accessories after fact; punishment; relationship as defence; cross-examination; impeachment
- § 274:5 — Felon's conviction or amenability to justice; venue
- § 274:6 — Attempts to commit crimes; punishment
- § 274:7 — Conspiracy; penalties
- § 274:8 — Solicitation, counsel, advice or enticement of crime; penalties