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.