In his outstanding May 2 op-ed, “The illusion of justice for sexual abuse victims,”
Paul Mones wrote that, for sexual abuse victims, it is “not their
perpetrator but the law itself that denies them justice.” The laws are,
of course, the statutes of limitations.
The
justification for these statutes is that, after too much time, evidence
can be lost, memories can fade and witnesses may not be available, all
of which make it difficult for a defendant to get a fair trial.
Nonsense. If anything, with the presumption of innocence, the passing of
time makes it harder for the prosecution. An alleged perpetrator should
be tried, regardless of how long ago the alleged crime(s) occurred. If
time has made it impossible to determine guilt “beyond a reasonable
doubt,” a not-guilty verdict could be rendered.
