Sacramento, CA – Today, the California Assembly unanimously passed, with a vote of 77-0, Assembly Bill (AB) 368, a measure meant to protect young child sexual assault victims from reliving their assault details multiple times in court. With this bill, when an offender commits certain sexual crimes with a minor in multiple jurisdictions, the offenses may be joined and heard in any one of those locations. The bill expands the ages of the victims from just 10-14years old under current law to all children under the age of 14.
“By trying to get convictions in multiple jurisdictions, we have been asking our most vulnerable of victims to painfully relive their crime each time it is litigated. This bill ensures that these victims are protected by seeking conviction in just one jurisdiction,” said Muratsuchi. “As a father and a former District Attorney, upholding the law shouldn’t come at the price of further traumatizing these fragile children.”
Sponsored by the District Attorney from the County of Los Angeles, the bill would expedite the prosecution of offenders while preventing young children from reliving the trauma unnecessarily. “Transitory living situations can result in a child sexual assault victim being victimized in multiple jurisdictions, often by the same offender. Consolidating criminal prosecutions results in preventing a child sexual assault victim being subjected to multiple court proceedings, repetitive investigations, and testifying in multiple trials often lasting over several years,” said Los Angeles County District Attorney, Jackie Lacey. “AB 368 solves this problem by allowing for the consolidation of all child sexual assault prosecutions.”