Tree Climbers: Arkansas Lifts Statute of Limitations on Sex Crimes Involving Minors

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Friday February 22, 2013 · 3:41 PM PST

2013/02/22 · 15:41

The Arkansas General Assembly amended their laws to remove age qualifiers for the prosecution of child sexual abuse crimes.

(a)(1) A prosecution for the following offenses may be commenced at any time.:
(A) Capital murder, § 5-10-101;
(B) Murder in the first degree, § 5-10-102;
(C) Murder in the second degree, § 5-10-103;
(D) Rape, § 5-14-103, if the victim was a minor at the time of the offense;
(E) Sexual indecency with a child, § 5-14-110;
(F) Sexual assault in the first degree, § 5-14-124;
(G) Sexual assault in the second degree, § 5-14-125, if the victim was a minor at the time of the offense;
(H) Incest, § 5-26-202, if the victim was a minor at the time of the offense;
(I) Engaging children in sexually explicit conduct for use in visual or print medium, § 5-27-303;
(J) Transportation of minors for prohibited sexual conduct, § 5-27-305;
(K) Employing or consenting to the use of a child in a sexual performance, § 5-27-402;
(L) Producing, directing, or promoting a sexual performance by a child, § 5-27-403; and
(M) Computer exploitation of a child in the first degree, § 5-27-605.

Previously, the statute ran out with the person reaching the age of 28.

I hope this is the just the beginning of states really looking at their statute of limitations with regards to childhood sexual abuse, as statistics show, most survivors never speak out about their abuse. And those that do, are often well into adulthood when they find their voices.

SB92 has been signed into law by Governor Beebe

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Tree Climbers: Arkansas Lifts Statute of Limitations on Sex Crimes Involving Minors

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