Homepage > Boston News

Lawmaker: Urinating In Public Exposes Flaw In Law

Representative Wants To Make Public Urination A Separate Crime

POSTED: 4:35 pm EDT September 30, 2007
UPDATED: 4:54 pm EDT September 30, 2007

A New Hampshire lawmaker said laws against public urination in public exposes a flaw in the law.

Strange as it sounds, Democratic Rep. Stephen Shurtleff said making public urination a separate crime could really help people out.

Currently, there is no state law specifically addressing public urination; it's prosecuted under a patchwork of local and state laws, indecent exposure among them.

Shurtleff said because indecent exposure is a sex offense, multiple convictions could land habitual public urinators on a sex offender registry, a penalty he feels is too severe for the crime.

"I think some of the stigma attached to that is greater than the offense," he said. "It's public urination and they should be charged with it."

A member of the House Judiciary Committee, Shurtleff, of Concord, is working to rewrite New Hampshire's sex offender laws to comply with new federal law. Under federal law, those convicted of indecent exposure twice in three years would be forced to register as sex offenders.

Shurtleff said in the upcoming legislative session he will push for a law making public urination a misdemeanor.

Links We Like

You can pick your friends, but not your family -- or your neighbors. Here's what you need to know about how to deal with yours. More

Find out what a sputtering economy and an increasingly difficult to crack job market means to you. More

Are you often tired or rushed in the morning? Give your morning habits a makeover, and start the day feeling positive and energetic instead. More

Featured On 5

Consumer Info


Sponsored Content Provided by ARA