California may soon end the statute of limitations on rape cases and other felony sex crimes in the wake of the sexual assault allegations against Bill Cosby.
On Tuesday, the state Senate sent a bill to the governor that would end the time limits for prosecuting rapists and sexual abusers.
Lili Bernard, who has accused Cosby of drugging and raping her, told KCBS:
“They couldn’t even consider prosecuting Bill Cosby because I was just a few months outside the statute of limitations,”
Back in June, rape victims testified in Sacramento as an effort to eliminate the current statute of limitations, which is 10 years.
If the bill is signed into law, rape would join murder as one of the few crimes with no statute of limitations.
California State Senator, Connie Leyva Sponsors The Bill
Sen. Connie Leyva introduced the bill after dozens of women alleged that Cosby raped them. Most of their cases cannot be prosecuted because the statutes of limitations for those alleged crimes have expired.
Leyva commented on the current trend in prosecuting rapists in the state of California, saying:
“When you look at statistics, and you see that only two convicted rapists, two out of 100 serve any time. We know that people aren’t being convicted unduly.”
Until the bill passes, rapists cannot be convicted after the 10 year period unless there is new DNA evidence. Sex crimes against minors must be prosecuted before the victim’s fortieth birthday.
Once the law changes, crimes of this nature could be prosecuted at any time.
Other States Removed Statute Of Limitations
Sixteen to be exact. And with more than 50 women who have accused Cosby of some form of sexual assault, California has to consider it.
One of the accusers, Helen Hayes, has said of the bill:
“If it’s abolished, maybe it will save some women from being attacked … You can’t just hide for all those years like he did, and laugh and say ‘They can’t do anything to me.'”
If the bill is approved by the Senate Public Safety Committee, it will not take effect until next year. The law would only apply to crimes committed after January 1, 2017, and for those whose current statute hasn’t expired.
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