NEW JERSEY
Digital Journal
Those with old histories of sexual abuse could be subject to a revised and indefinte statute of limitations, providing legislative proposals are enacted.
November 15, 2013 /24-7PressRelease/ — Over the past couple of decades, the Catholic Church has experienced an alarming record of sexual assault scandals within its doors. However, in legal terms, New Jersey’s statute of limitations actually protected former offenders. This is because the statute of limitations, which starts the clock on viable criminal suits, often expired before young victims could report criminal actions by church officials.
In such cases, had the victims reported the crimes within he specified statutory period, many of the offenders could have have faced time behind bars. Instead, they were given second chances.
However, in 1996, New Jersey’s laws transformed and eliminated the time limit for some criminal charges. So, can church officials now be held accountable for former acts, which date back to before 1996? Not exactly. Even within the new legal parameters, sex abuse victims have only two years to sue after linking abuse to other issues, including divorce or depression. This is spurring legal change.
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