Illinois State Looks at Change for Child Sex Abuse Law After Hastert Case

It was said that a state lawmaker and former prosecutor looks to remove the statute of limitations on child sex crimes in Illinois. This is to address the previous hush-money case against former U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert.

According to Fox 32 Chicago, Dennis Hastert, before being sentenced to 15 months imprisonment last week for breaking federal banking rules, he admitted to having sexually abused teenagers many years ago. This was during his run at being a high school wrestling coach in Yorkville, Illinois, in which the claims were as severe and involved attempts at financial compensation.

Star Tribune noted that the 74-year-old Hastert allegedly paid $3.5 million to silence of accuser that testified in court, but was no longer viable for prosecution of the said sex abuse case because too much time has passed. Because of the said case, state Sen. Scott Bennett, a Champaign Democrat, looks to end the statute of limitations on child sex crimes; the similar way in which there is no limit to how long heavier crimes such as murder is being punished.

As per ABC News, though the bill will no longer affect Hastert, it would still be important to broaden the scope in which victims of the said sex crimes can still push through with their complaints in search of legal action. One concern is that it usually takes years for one victim of the crime to even feel comfortable talking about the traumatic experience, let alone file for something against it.

Bennett was quoted on his statement, saying, "(Time) shouldn't be a complete bar to a victim just because they may not be in a place to discuss their trauma right after it happens."

It was also further notified by the Illinois government that in 2013, the statute of limitations on civil lawsuits concerning child sex crimes was lifted. The year after, the state lawmakers waived the statute as well for those criminal cases where there is corroborating physical evidence or no report filed within the duration of the child's sex abuse.

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Illinois government, Child Sex Abuse, J. Dennis Hastert lawsuit

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