(1) (a) Any person who is age eighteen (18) or older is guilty of criminal gang recruitment in the first degree if he or she:
1. Solicits or entices any person under the age of fifteen (15) to join a criminal gang; and

Attorney's Note

Under the Kentucky Statutes, punishments for crimes depend on the classification. In the case of this section:
ClassPrisonFine
Class C felonybetween 5 and 10 yearsbetween $1,000 and $10,000
Class D felonybetween 1 and 5 yearsbetween $1,000 and $10,000
Class A misdemeanorup to 12 months up to $500
For details, see § 532.060 and § 532.090
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Terms Used In Kentucky Statutes 506.140

  • Criminal gang: means any alliance, network, conspiracy, or group that:
    (a) Consists of three (3) or more persons who have any of the following in common:
    1. See Kentucky Statutes 506.135

2. Requires as a condition of membership the commission of a crime.
(b) Criminal gang recruitment in the first degree is a Class C felony for the first offense and a Class B felony for a second or subsequent offense.
(2) (a) Any person over the age of eighteen (18) is guilty of criminal gang recruitment in the second degree if he or she entices or solicits another person to join a criminal gang or intimidates or threatens another person because the other person:
1. Refuses to join a criminal gang;
2. Has withdrawn or is attempting to withdraw from a criminal gang; or
3. Refuses to submit to a demand made by a criminal gang.
(b) Criminal gang recruitment in the second degree is a Class D felony for the first offense and a Class C felony for a second or subsequent offense.
(3) (a) Any person under the age of eighteen (18) is guilty of criminal gang recruitment in the third degree when he or she intentionally encourages or solicits another person to join a criminal gang.
(b) Criminal gang recruitment in the third degree is a Class A misdemeanor for the first offense and a Class D felony for a second or subsequent offense.
(4) It shall be no defense to prosecution under this section that the other person never intended to or did not commit the crime.
Effective: April 26, 2018
History: Repealed and reenacted 2018 Ky. Acts ch. 202, sec. 2, effective April 26,
2018. — Amended 2000 Ky. Acts ch. 431, sec. 1, effective July 14, 2000. — Created
1998 Ky. Acts ch. 606, sec. 83, effective July 15, 1998.