Legislation Would Change Statute Of Limitations In Rape Cases

(CBS) -- There is now a push to give Illinois rape victims more time to prosecute their attackers.

CBS 2's Dana Kozlov reports.

"Shameful" is how some victims describe the rape-kit processing backlog in Illinois. It's chronic and it has allowed some rapists to get away with their crime.

An example is the man who attacked Rosa Pickett along a stretch of 135th in Robbins when she was just 17 years old. Pickett's rape kit wasn't even analyzed until the 10-year statute of limitations ran out.

So, Pickett, along with Lifeway Foods CEO and Test 400K co-founder Julie Smolyansky, began a fight to have the rape statute of limitations start once the rape kit is processed.

Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart supports the push but stresses there are several components to a successful prosecution. One segment depends on police using rape-kit evidence in a timely fashion, he says.

This is the second go-around for the bill. It has passed the House and is expected to pass the Senate this week.

Does Gov. Bruce Rauner support it? A spokesperson would only say the governor will carefully consider any legislation that crosses his desk.

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.