Title 53, Title 53: Crimes

Sec. 53-21. Injury or risk of injury to, or impairing morals of, children. Sale of children. (a) Any person who (1) wilfully or unlawfully causes or permits any child under the age of sixteen years to be placed in such a situation that the life or limb of such child is endangered…

Sec. 53-21a. Leaving child unsupervised in place of public accommodation or motor vehicle. Failure to report disappearance of a child. (Revisor's note: This electronic version of this section includes subsections (b) to (d) which were omitted in error from the 2025 printed versio…

Sec. 53-22. Psychiatric examinations. The court may order any person convicted under section 53-20 or 53-21 to be examined by one or more competent psychiatrists. (1949 Rev., S. 8370.) See Sec. 17a-566 re examination of certain convicted persons.

Sec. 53-23. Abandonment of child under the age of six years. (a) Any person having the charge of any child under the age of six years who exposes such child in any place, with intent wholly to abandon such child, shall be guilty of a class D felony. (b) The act of a parent or age…

Sec. 53-23a. Hazing. (a) For purposes of this section: (1) “Hazing” means any action which recklessly or intentionally endangers the health or safety of a person for the purpose of initiation, admission into or affiliation with, or as a condition for continued membership in a stu…

Secs. 53-24 to 53-33. Taking or enticing away a child. Unlawful exhibition or employment of child. Abduction of child by either parent. Kidnapping. Assault with intent to rob. Attempt to procure miscarriage or abortion. Abortion or miscarriage: Fine. Encouraging the commission of…

Sec. 53-34a. Deprivation of rights of physically disabled and blind; class C misdemeanor. Section 53-34a is repealed. (P.A. 73-279, S. 2; P.A. 77-278, S. 2.)

Sec. 53-34b. Deprivation of the right to breast-feed one's child. No person may restrict or limit the right of a mother to breast-feed her child. (P.A. 97-210, S. 2.) See Sec. 54-195 re general penalty provision.

Secs. 53-35b and 53-36. Posting of notices. Complaint to Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities; commission may issue complaint; damages. Sections 53-35b and 53-36 are repealed. (1949, 1955, S. 3268d; 1959, P.A. 111; February, 1965, P.A. 433, S. 2; 1967, P.A. 210, S. 2; 715…

Sec. 53-36c. Counsel for commission. Section 53-36c is repealed. (February, 1965, P.A. 543, S. 4; 1967, P.A. 715, S. 6; P.A. 80-422, S. 50.)

Sec. 53-37. Ridicule on account of creed, religion, color, denomination, nationality or race. Any person who, by his advertisement, ridicules or holds up to contempt any person or class of persons, on account of the creed, religion, color, denomination, nationality or race of suc…

Sec. 53-37a. Deprivation of a person's civil rights by person wearing mask or hood: Class D felony. Any person who, with the intent to subject, or cause to be subjected, any other person to the deprivation of any rights, privileges or immunities, secured or protected by the Const…

Sec. 53-37b. Deprivation of a person's equal rights and privileges by force or threat. Any person who, acting alone or in conspiracy with another, for the purpose of depriving any person or class of persons of the equal protection of the laws of this state or the United States, o…

Sec. 53-38. Fictitious notice of birth, marriage or death. Section 53-38 is repealed. (1949 Rev., S. 8377; 1969, P.A. 828, S. 214.)

Sec. 53-39. Malicious prosecution. Any person who falsely prosecutes another for any criminal charge, without probable cause and with malicious intent unjustly to vex and trouble him, shall be fined not more than one hundred dollars or imprisoned not more than one year. (1949 Rev…

Sec. 53-39a. Indemnification of law enforcement unit members, certain special police and inspectors in the Division of Criminal Justice. Whenever, in any prosecution of any member of a law enforcement unit, as defined in section 7-294a, any person appointed under section 29-18 as…

Sec. 53-40. Blackmail. Section 53-40 is repealed. (1949 Rev., S. 8379; 1969, P.A. 828, S. 214.)

Sec. 53-41. Tattooing of persons restricted. Section 53-41 is repealed, effective May 23, 1994. (1953, S. 3269d; 1963, P.A. 27; P.A. 94-105, S. 3, 4.)

Sec. 53-41a. Surveillance devices in dressing rooms prohibited. No department or clothing store shall install or in any manner use a closed-circuit television system, a two-way mirror, a peephole or any other surveillance device, including any mechanical device in any dressing ro…

Sec. 53-41b. Ear piercing. Section 53-41b is repealed, effective May 23, 1994. (1969, P.A. 360; 1971, P.A. 20, S. 1; P.A. 78-99, S. 2, 3; P.A. 94-105, S. 3, 4.)

Secs. 53-9 and 53-10. Degrees of murder; trial. First degree murder, other homicides; death penalty or life imprisonment. Sections 53-9 and 53-10 are repealed. (1949 Rev., S. 8350, 8351; 1951, S. 3266d; 1957, P.A. 461, S. 3; 1963, P.A. 322; 573; February, 1965, P.A. 500; 1969, P.…

Secs. 53-42 to 53-55. Offenses against public property. Sections 53-42 to 53-55, inclusive, are repealed. (1949 Rev., S. 8380–8393; 1953, S. 3270d; 1955, S. 3272d; 1957, P.A. 163, S. 45; September, 1957, P.A. 11, S. 10; 1959, P.A. 40, S. 1; 437, S. 1; 449, S. 2; 1963, P.A. 56; 40…

Sec. 53-129a. Defrauding secured party. (a) As used in this section: (1) “Collateral” has the same meaning as specified in subdivision (12) of subsection (a) of section 42a-9-102; (2) “Debtor” has the same meaning as specified in subdivision (28) of subsection (a) of section 42a-…

Sec. 53-129b. Concealment or conveyance of leased property. Section 53-129b is repealed. (1967, P.A. 817; P.A. 85-339, S. 2.)

Sec. 53-130. Concealing or destroying attached property. Any person who, with intent to place personal property, attached according to the provisions of section 52-283, beyond the control of the attaching officer or attaching creditor, destroys, consumes or causes to be consumed,…

Sec. 53-131. Removal of identifying marks on electrical devices. Any person who, with intent to defraud another, wilfully removes, defaces, conceals, alters or destroys the manufacturer's serial number or other distinguishing number, name or identification mark on any motor, appa…

Sec. 53-132. Sale of equipment with defective identification marks. Any person who, with intent to defraud, knowingly, for himself or for others, buys, sells, receives, disposes of, conceals, uses or attempts to sell or dispose of, or has in his possession for any of said purpose…

Sec. 53-132a. Altering manufacturer's serial number. (a) For the purposes of this section, a manufacturer's serial number means that number or other mark which identifies any product, other than a motor vehicle, and distinguishes it from other products of like model and kind prod…

Sec. 53-133. Unlawful alteration or disposal of rental electric storage batteries. Any person other than the owner who removes, defaces, alters or destroys, or causes to be removed, defaced, altered or destroyed, the word “rental” or any other word or identifying mark printed, pa…

Sec. 53-134. Possession of outboard motor having defaced factory or engine number. (a) No person shall have in his possession any outboard motor bearing an engine or factory number which shows evidence of having been altered or defaced except as hereinafter provided. Any officer,…

Secs. 53-135 to 53-142. Unlawful appropriation of electric current. Fraudulent diversion or use of water. Defrauding gas companies or public hospitals. Unauthorized performance of certain compositions. Tapping telegraph or telephone wires. Unlawful sale of railroad tickets. Unlaw…

Sec. 53-142a. Illegal sale or possession of master car key. Any person who makes and sells to anyone other than a new car dealer, licensed under section 14-52, a person actually engaged in the trade of locksmith, a law enforcement agency or a loan institution which finances the p…

Sec. 53-142b. Transferral, sale or use of records, tapes, film, cassettes or discs without owner's consent, or supplying machinery for reproduction thereof, prohibited. Exceptions. (a) As used in this section, “owner” means the person who owns the master phonograph record, master…

Sec. 53-142c. Manufacture, sale or distribution of records, tapes, cassettes or discs without identification marks prohibited. (a) No person shall manufacture or knowingly sell, distribute, advertise for sale or cause to be sold, distributed or circulated for profit any phonograp…

Sec. 53-142d. Penalties for violations of sections 53-142b, 53-142c. Section 53-142d is repealed. (P.A. 74-160, S. 3; P.A. 94-140, S. 4.)

Sec. 53-142f. Possession of unauthorized recordings prohibited. (a) No person shall knowingly possess one hundred or more copies of any single record, disc, tape, film, audio or video cassette or disc or other article on which sounds or images or both have been recorded without t…

Sec. 53-142j. (Formerly Sec. 53-142e). Destruction, delay or opening of letters and packages by private messenger or courier service prohibited. (a) No person who is an agent or employee of a private messenger or courier service shall secrete, destroy, detain, delay or open any l…

Sec. 53-142k. Organized retail theft. (a) As used in this section: (1) “Retail property” means any new article, product, commodity, item or component intended to be sold in retail commerce; (2) “Value” means the retail value of an item as advertised by the affected retail establi…

Secs. 53-56 to 53-80. Theft from the person. Theft of motor vehicle, bicycle or livestock. Shoplifting. Theft, counterfeiting or embezzlement of passage tickets. Receiving stolen goods. Robbery, burglary, breaking and entering, generally. Use of explosives. Sections 53-56 to 53-8…

Sec. 53-80a. Manufacture of bombs. Any person, other than one engaged in the manufacture of firearms or explosives or incendiary devices for lawful purposes, who fabricates, in any manner, any type of an explosive, incendiary or other device designed to be dropped, hurled, or set…

Secs. 53-81 to 53-129. Wilful injury to private building. Damage to materials of construction project. Arson, generally. Illegal burning and dumping. Injury to or obstruction of railroads or navigation. Trespass, generally. Other offenses. Sections 53-81 to 53-129, inclusive, are…

Secs. 53-143 to 53-150. Perjury and subornation of perjury. Attempt to influence jurors. Conversation with or by jurors. Bribery: Generally; of witness; of executive or legislative officer. Attempt to improperly influence legislation. Sections 53-143 to 53-150, inclusive, are rep…

Secs. 53-151 and 53-152. Transferred to Chapter 11, Secs. 1-102 and 1-103, respectively.

Sec. 53-153. Unlawful removal or alteration of records. Counterfeiting seals. Any person who, wilfully and corruptly, takes away, alters, mutilates or destroys any book, record, document, archive or other property in the possession or custody or under the control of any instituti…

Secs. 53-154 to 53-163. Failure to appear according to promise or bond. Escape from custody, generally. Conveying of unauthorized items into a correctional institution. Intoxication and possession of intoxicating beverages on property of, or under jurisdiction of, Correction Depa…

Sec. 53-164. Escape from certain institutions. Section 53-164 is repealed, effective May 31, 2017. (1949 Rev., S. 8501; 1961, P.A. 312, S. 14; 1967, P.A. 118, S. 7; 1972, P.A. 28, S. 3; P.A. 91-278, S. 6, 9; P.A. 99-26, S. 24, 39; P.A. 00-99, S. 117, 124, 154; P.A. 01-195, S. 68,…