Eliminate Statute of Limitations & Change Venue For Physical & Sexual Abuse Crimes Against Children

Current legislation varies depending upon state.

Due to each crime consisting of specific circumstances, and given that every child’s situation and reaction is different, I am asking that the federal governing agencies implement a nationwide bill, which makes physical and sexual abuse crimes committed against children under the age of eighteen, a federal, punishable offense without any statute of limitations.

Reasoning for Federal Legislation:

A child is a child, regardless of location in (and out of) the United States. Any physical or sexual abuse crime committed against a child, should be held as punishable on the same level, nationally. A standard of federal penal code needs to be established per each act of crime, and upheld on the federal level. With this said, the penalty established per each act, should be the same throughout the entire United States, and not state-specific relative to punishment.

Given that an increasingly large number of physical and sexual abuse crimes committed against children occur by traveling across state lines, be it physically, or by use of the Internet, etc., federal legislation would eliminate any possible complications in a case, and ultimately prevent time and resource wastefulness, as well as fighting over state-specific law, as to how best to proceed. Defaulting to a state-level for the charging of crimes committed against a child creates loopholes by which the offender can be set free.

Additionally, implementation of federal legislation, rather than state-specific, would dissuade offenders who seek to leave one state’s jurisdiction, and relocate to another state whereas the law may lean more favorably on the side of the offender. This is to be taken into consideration in conjunction with the need for an offender to have to register as such, in each state.

Statute of Limitations

The clock must stop for the offender. Any time granted due to a statute of limitation can be deemed as a “pass” for freedom by which an offender has physically, mentally and/or emotionally injured a child. Any limitation should be taken-away immediately.

Due to state-specific statute imposition for laws governing physical and sexual abuse crimes committed against a child, too large a number of offenders have been able to scare and intimidate their victims into silence. As a result of “time bought” by statutes of limitations, the criminals then have a legally granted right of passage to go free, and not be held accountable for a life-long suffering that victims must endure. Most offenders continue to commit crimes against children after one victim’s statutes have ended. Limitations only impose more freedom for offenders, and afford fewer rights to the victims.

Understanding that every child reacts differently, some may never come forward, while others may voice their attacks instantly. Statistically, a larger number of victims do not have the strength and/or resources to report their attackers until well into their adult lives. Regardless of duration of elapsed time until a report is filed against an offender, the victim must live with the physical, mental and emotional scars of abuse, for the rest of their lives.

State-specific charges, and statutes of limitations send a poor message to the public and put our children in danger, while only working in favor of the offender. Imposing statutes of limitations tells the community – and the world – that the victim’s experience does not matter, if they for whatsoever the reasoning, have waited until too late to file charges against their attacker. All the while, the predator has moved-on and has more than likely, assaulted more victims. In turn, the socio-economic impact relative to current law, creates only more burden on local, state and national agencies to fund, staff and maintain drug, alcohol, domestic violence, suicide prevention programs, and other interventions to treat many that have had to live with pain and stigma of being a silenced abuse victim, and survivor. This is not justice. 

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