Members of Tennessee’s Senate Judiciary Committee and House Criminal Justice Committee will debate bills that would allow Tennessee’s district attorneys to prosecute serial child sexual abusers with a single trial even if the abuses occurred in multiple judicial districts.
The bills are expected to appear at the top of the two committees’ calendars Tuesday afternoon (4/9/2013). The Senate Judiciary Committee will begin at 1 p.m., and the House Criminal Justice Committee will begin at 3 p.m.
“The passage of this proposed legislation would be a big win for victims of child sexual abuse in Tennessee,” said Bonnie Beneke, executive director of the Tennessee Children’s Advocacy Centers. “These bills seek to equip law enforcement with tools to effectively prosecute serial child sexual abusers without placing undue burden on victims and their families.”
Senate Bill 1362 and House Bill 1293, titled the “Child Protection Act,” create a continuing offense of sexual abuse of a child where multiple incidents are involved. It allows for those incidents to be prosecuted at one trial. The result of such legislation would be more efficient use of the tremendous resources that are necessary in child sexual abuse trials and less stress placed on victims of child sexual abuse.