RBMS Security Committee: State Laws: District of Columbia

The RBMS Security Committee attempts to maintain a current list of statutes from each of the fifty states pertaining to library thefts or other criminal acts involving library and archival materials (view index). Following are the relevant laws for the state of District of Columbia:

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District of Columbia Official Code 2001 Edition. Division IV. Criminal Law and Procedure and Prisoners.
Title 22. Criminal Offenses and Penalties. (Refs & Annos) Subtitle I. Criminal Offenses.
Chapter 33. Trespass; Injuries to Property.

§ 22-3306. Defacing books, manuscripts, publications, or works of art.

Any person who shall wrongfully deface, injure, or mutilate, tear, or destroy any book, pamphlet, or manuscript, or any portion thereof belonging to the Library of Congress, or to any public library in the District of Columbia, whether the property of the United States or of the District of Columbia or of any individual or corporation in said District, or who shall wrongfully deface, injure, mutilate, tear, or destroy any book, pamphlet, document, manuscript, public record, print, engraving, medal, newspaper, or work of art, the property of the United States or of the District of Columbia, shall be held guilty of a misdemeanor, and, on conviction thereof, shall, when the offense is not otherwise punishable by some statute of the United States, be punished by a fine of not less than $10 nor more than $1,000, and by imprisonment for not less than 1 month nor more than 180 days, or both, for every such offense.

Source: District of Columbia Official Code: http://preview.tinyurl.com/42ngobt (accessed Aug. 10, 2011)

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