CALIFORNIA
Mercury News
By Jessie Seyfer
Mercury News
A child is sexually molested at the age of 7. She keeps it a secret until her mid-20s, then finally reports it to police. But by that time, the 10-year statute of limitations has already run out, and it's a lot less likely that her molester will end up behind bars.
This scenario frequently plays out in California and deprives victims of justice, says state Sen. Elaine Alquist, D-San Jose. That's why she and the state attorney general's office have drafted a bill that would allow prosecutors to file child sex crime charges up until the victim's 30th birthday. The law would affect only those crimes that occur after Jan. 1, 2006.
``I personally don't think there ought to be any'' statute of limitation for sex crimes, Alquist said. ``This is a good first step.''
Proponents, like Santa Clara County prosecutor Jay Boyarsky, say the bill would bring the law into line with studies, which find that people often can't come to terms with child sexual traumas -- let alone report them to police -- until well past their teens.