On Monday, Nevada Gov. Jim Gibbons signed into a law a bill that makes it a felony to intentionally view child pornography with “specific intent” over the Internet. Before the new law, Nevada could prosecute those who downloaded images into their computer, but not those who just viewed them.
Under Nevada Assembly Bill 88, a person who intentionally views photographs or films depicting someone younger than 16 in “sexual conduct” is guilty of a felony, punishable by one to six years in prison.
In addition to these penalties, the new law also allows children used in pornography to file civil lawsuits to recover damages from those who depicted them in films or photos.
They can recover as much as $150,000 in damages, plus lawyer fees and cost. The person who filmed or photographed them in pornography does not have to be convicted of a crime before being sued.