Editorial: Child crimes should have no statute of limitations

Daily Press
February 15, 2020

https://www.tahlequahdailypress.com/opinion/editorials/editorial-child-crimes-should-have-no-statute-of-limitations/article_89d19b71-db57-5bda-b05d-6ec481e874f9.html

When the child molestation scandal in the Roman Catholic Church was at its height several years ago, many Americans were mortified to learn that statutes of limitation across the country precluded prosecution of predatory priests. Some states quickly made adjustments in their criminal law to deal with that injustice.

For some reason, Oklahoma lawmakers have only turned a tentative corner in that regard, but not for lack of trying on the part of Carol Bush, R-Tulsa. She introduced legislation in 2017 to remove the statute of limitations on sex crimes against children, as well as prosecution of child-trafficking cases. This year, her repeat bill passed the House Judiciary Committee, but its chances for passage looked good in 2017, too - until revamps on the bill changed the statute of limitation to expire at age 45 for victims.

This time around, maybe the Legislature will see fit to remove all obstacles to punishing those who harm our most precious and vulnerable citizens: our children.

Bush explained what most people already know - that sometimes, because of the nature of these crimes and the trauma they cause, victims often don't come forward until many years later. In fact, sometimes they block the terrible memories of the abuse. It takes emotional maturity to face the chain of events that lead to prosecution, not to mention the abusers themselves - and that type of maturity takes many years to acquire. In fact, Bush pointed out, the average victim doesn't report the crime until he or she is 52.

Bush has heard from several Oklahomans who have been victims, or are family members of them, since she took office. Her observation is that laws seem to go overboard to protect the perpetrators, instead of supporting survivors. Surely no one believes shielding these monsters is the right thing to do.

If Bush's bill makes it through in its original form, victims of abuse will be able to "come forward at any point in their lives." It also allows law enforcement officials plenty of time to use due process to prove guilt beyond a shadow of a doubt, and as she put it, "get these disgusting criminals off the streets."

Florida, Hawaii, Massachusetts, California, and Pennsylvania have already tossed out their statutes of limitations for these types of crimes. New York extended its law to allow victims a longer window to report. In terms of political philosophy, that's an eclectic mix. There's no reason why Oklahoma can't join the fray and put itself on the gold standard list in at least one area. This one is worth the effort.