Massachusetts General Laws

Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 265, § 22A (2026)

Rape of child; punishment

✓ current as of July 2026

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Section 22A. Whoever has sexual intercourse or unnatural sexual intercourse with a child under 16, and compels such child to submit by force and against his will or compels such child to submit by threat of bodily injury, shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for life or for any term of years. A prosecution commenced under this section shall neither be continued without a finding nor placed on file.

Notes of Decisions

Cited in 226 cases (31 in the last 5 years), 1974–2026 · leading case: Commonwealth v. King, 834 N.E.2d 1175 (Mass. 2005).

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Commonwealth v. King, 834 N.E.2d 1175 (Mass. 2005). · cites it 3× “King, appeals from his convictions of forcible rape of a child under sixteen years, G. L. c. 265, § 22A, and indecent assault and battery of a child under fourteen years, G.”

Commonwealth v. Walker, 687 N.E.2d 1246 (Mass. 1997). · cites it 7× “Four indictments charged Walker with forcible rape of a child under sixteen years of age, pursuant to G. L. c. 265, § 22A, arising from Mary’s accusation that Walker had anal intercourse with her on four occasions that weekend in four different rooms of the house.”

Commonwealth v. Gallant, 369 N.E.2d 707 (Mass. 1977). · cites it 4× “9 The 1974 amendment makes no change in that aspect of preexisting law, as may be seen by comparing G. L. c. 265, § 22A, which requires proof that the defendant “compels.”

Commonwealth v. White, 61 N.E.3d 423 (Mass. 2016). · cites it 4× “The judge denied the defendant’s motion to dismiss a fourth count — for rape of a child by force, G. L. c. 265, § 22A — relating to abuse of S.”

Commonwealth v. Wayne Foreman., 101 Mass. App. Ct. 398 (Mass. App. Ct. 2022). · cites it 5× “[407-409] A criminal defendant's convictions of rape of a child with force, in violation of G. L. c. 265, § 22A, were not duplicative of his convictions of rape of a child aggravated by age difference, in violation of G.”

Commonwealth v. Egerton, 487 N.E.2d 481 (Mass. 1986). · cites it 4× “G. L. c. 265, § 22A (1984 ed.). The case was tried before a jury in *500 Suffolk County.”

Commonwealth v. Suero, 987 N.E.2d 1199 (Mass. 2013). · cites it 4× “On February 22, 2006, an Essex County grand jury returned indictments charging the defendant with rape of a child with force, G. L. c. 265, § 22A, and indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of fourteen, G.”

Commonwealth v. Armstrong, 897 N.E.2d 105 (Mass. App. Ct. 2008). · cites it 4× “See G. L. c. 265, §§ 22A, 24B. One of the issues presented by the defendant on appeal is unique to the first two rape indictments.”

Scione v. Commonwealth Commonwealth v. Barnes, 114 N.E.3d 74 (Mass. 2019). · cites it 4× “Importantly, the crime of forcible rape of a child, G. L. c. 265, § 22A, which punishes "[w]hoever has sexual intercourse or unnatural sexual intercourse with a child under [sixteen], and compels such child to submit by force and against his will or compels such child to submit…”

Commonwealth v. Kirkpatrick, 668 N.E.2d 790 (Mass. 1996). · cites it 3× “A jury in the Superior Court convicted the defendant, David Kirkpatrick, on two indictments, the first charging ten identical counts of forcible rape of a child under sixteen years, in violation of G. L. c. 265, § 22A (1994 ed.), and the second charging ten identical counts of…”

Commonwealth v. Samuel S., a Juv., 69 N.E.3d 573 (Mass. 2017). · cites it 2× “265, § 13B, and one count of rape of a child with force, G. L. c. 265, § 22A. Three youthful offender indictments also issued, charging the juvenile with one count of rape of a child with force, G.”

Winfield v. O'Brien, 775 F.3d 1 (1st Cir. 2014). “Procedural History In August 2006, a Middlesex County grand jury indicted Winfield on two counts of Rape of Child, see Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 265, § 22A, Indecent Assault and Battery on Child Under the Age of Fourteen, see id.”

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