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Last updated on Thursday, January 22, 2015
(INDIANAPOLIS) - A Senate committee Tuesday approved legislation expanding the statute of limitations in rape cases.
Under current law, the statute of limitations to prosecute for rape is five years.
Sen. Michael Crider, R-Indianapolis, proposed legislation that would expand the statute of limitations in two circumstances - if DNA evidence were discovered tying a rapist to the crime, or if the person confesses to the crime. In those scenarios, the five-year window for prosecution would not start when the crime was committed, but when that evidence was uncovered.
Crider says many times, attackers are tied to rape crimes when they're arrested for something else, years later. Crider feels it is appropriate to hold them accountable for the rape.
Some victim advocates criticized the bill because they say it doesn't go far enough. They argue there should be no statute of limitations for rape.
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