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Home/Bills/S 3839New York · 2025–2026 Legislative Session
Senate BillIntroducedCPL

S 3839: Relates to discovery restrictions for photographs of minors depicting sexual or other intimate parts; provides such photographs shall be subject to in camera review and certain other restrictions.

New York · Senate · 2025–2026 Legislative Session · last verified January 8, 2026

What S 3839 does, verified January 8, 2026

The bill aims to restrict the disclosure of certain photographs in criminal cases, particularly those depicting minors. These photographs can only be disclosed to the counsel and relevant experts for the defendant, unless the court determines that disclosure is necessary for the pending case. The court will consider factors such as the nature of the photograph, the relevance and materiality of the information, and the impact on the minor depicted. The bill also requires in-camera review of such photographs before disclosure. The restrictions apply to photographs made or completed by public servants engaged in law enforcement activity or witnesses in the case.

Bill journey
1IntroducedCurrent
2In CommitteePending
3First Chamber FloorPending
4Second ChamberPending
5GovernorPending
6ChapteredPending
Last action: REFERRED TO CODES (2026-01-07)Alert me
Recent actions2 total · showing 2
Jan. 07, 2026REFERRED TO CODES
Jan. 30, 2025REFERRED TO CODES
Latest bill textIntroduced version, January 30, 2025 · 506 words
  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 3839 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE January 30, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. MAYER, KRUEGER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Codes AN ACT to amend the criminal procedure law, in relation to discovery restrictions for photographs of minors depicting sexual or other inti- mate parts The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Paragraph (h) of subdivision 1 of section 245.20 of the 2 criminal procedure law, as added by section 2 of part LLL of chapter 59 3 of the laws of 2019, is amended to read as follows: 4 (h) All photographs and drawings made or completed by a public servant 5 engaged in law enforcement activity, or which were made by a person whom 6 the prosecutor intends to call as a witness at trial or a pre-trial 7 hearing, or which relate to the subject matter of the case; provided, 8 however, that any photographs depicting the sexual or other intimate 9 parts of a person under the age of eighteen at the time the photograph 10 was taken shall first be subject to in camera review and other 11 restrictions provided by subdivision eight of section 245.70 of this 12 article. 13 § 2. Section 245.70 of the criminal procedure law is amended by adding 14 a new subdivision 8 to read as follows: 15 8. Photographs depicting the sexual or other intimate parts of a 16 minor. Any photograph depicting the sexual or other intimate parts of a 17 person under the age of eighteen at the time the photograph was taken, 18 and which is otherwise subject to disclosure pursuant to paragraph (h) 19 of subdivision one of section 245.20 of this article, shall be subject 20 to in camera review prior to disclosure to determine the manner in which 21 such photograph shall be disclosed, without need for a motion by either 22 party. In determining the manner of disclosure, the court shall consider 23 the body parts depicted in the photograph, the age of the minor 24 depicted, the nature of the photograph, the relevance and materiality of EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD01393-01-5 

 S. 3839 2 1 the photograph to the pending case, the impact disclosure may have on 2 the minor depicted, the nature of the crime or crimes charged, the 3 relationship between the minor depicted and the defendant and any 4 alleged relationship between the minor depicted and the defendant, and, 5 when known, the wishes of the minor depicted. There shall be a rebutta- 6 ble presumption that such photograph shall be disclosed only to the 7 counsel and relevant experts for the defendant. 8 § 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 9 have become a law. 

Text of S 3839 as introduced, from the official record. Connect Plus keeps every version and highlights what changed.Compare versions
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