PENNSYLVANIA
PennLiive
April 26, 2018
By Ivey DeJesus idejesus@pennlive.com
More than any other state, Pennsylvania is aggressively going after child sex predators.
From multiple grand jury investigations into the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, a similar grand jury probe into the Diocese of Altoona-Johnstown, the prosecution of Jerry Sandusky and the investigation into systemic sex abuse of students at a New Hope private school, state prosecutors have positioned the state as arguably the most aggressive in the nation against child sex crimes.
A pending grand jury investigation into six Roman Catholic dioceses in the state is poised to further ratchet up the scope of that outlook. The probe ostensibly will provide a complete look into clergy sex abuse in Pennsylvania.
“Pennsylvania is to be commended for pursuing these criminal matters,” said Mitchell Garabedian, an attorney who specializes in sexual abuse cases and represented hundreds for victims in lawsuits against the Catholic Church. “In a way they are showing many states the great need for criminal actions to be pursued with regard to clergy sex abuse and sex abuse of children.”
Garabedian was featured prominently — as portrayed by Stanley Tucci — in the film “Spotlight,” which disseminated to a global audience the story of decades of abuse and cover-up in the Archdiocese of Boston.
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