Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed legislation that removes the statutes of limitation for sexual abuse crimes against children making it much easier for adults who were childhood victims of abuse to come forward and seek justice.
However, the new law is limited in its scope. Barbara Blaine, the founder of Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, known as SNAP, said she is pleased the bill is now law, but she says it doesn’t go far enough.
“The bill is not going to protect victims who are over the age of 38, who have not come forward yet,” Blaine said.
The new law is not retroactive. It only applies to future cases and current ones in which the previous statute of limitations has not expired.
Blaine and other survivors say they will continue to push for all past cases to be included.
According to Bishop Accountability, 243 Catholic clergy have had credible allegations of sexual abuse made against them. Even with all the media attention on Catholic priest sex abuse in Illinois, the impetus for the new law was former US House Speaker Denis Hastert.
Hastert went to prison for crimes he committed while trying to hide his past sexual abuse of teenage boys. Authorities could not prosecute him for that abuse because the statutes of limitations had long run out. Instead, the feds hit Hastert in May 2015 with a seven-page indictment accusing him of illegally structuring bank withdrawals and lying to the FBI.
Hastert pleaded guilty to the structuring in October 2015. During his sentencing hearing in April 2016, he admitted to the judge that he sexually abused children in the 1970s while he was a wrestling coach at Yorkville High School.
Illinois has made a good start but elected officials must do more. Retroactivity is an important issue especially for those who were abused in the past. Additionally, survivors should have civil redress for these heinous crimes. Until all these issues are addressed, justice isn’t served.