Representative Sherry Roberts Statement on H5757 which strengthens and clarifies penalties for sexual assault

 

State House, Providence, RI – Representative Sherry Roberts offers the following statement on her bill, H5757, heard in House Judiciary, which strengthens and clarifies penalties for persons convicted of sexual assault:

Historically, Rhode Island has raced to compete with other states to be “first” on an entire host of issues that have been deemed a priority, but sadly in my experience, childhood sexual abuse has not been one of them. Furthermore, our priorities seem to have been somewhat misplaced, as there are laws that would put people in jail for longer periods of time for less offensive crimes, than for sexual assault against children. It often feels as if our children have taken the back seat as a priority, compared to many other issues that we have addressed.

As a survivor of childhood sexual abuse and contrary to what some may even fully realize, I can affirmatively state that we have not created adequate laws to sufficiently protect children from sexual assault, nor have we made it easy for victims to receive justice after such a reprehensible crime -- a crime from which most victims have an extremely difficult time recovering.

Nationally, 44% of rape victims are under the age of 18, with the highest risk of victimization between the ages 12 - 34.  Only 6 in 1000 perpetrators will serve prison time for sexual assault. Rhode Island comes in 5th as one of the highest-ranking states for sexual assaults for school aged children according to the US Department of Education, and 59% of the assaults go unreported to the police. According to DCYF, in 2021, there were 6,938 child maltreatment cases in Rhode Island, with 4.7% of those cases deemed sexual abuse.

I would know this because prosecuting my offender was nearly impossible and it took me a lifetime to figure out how to navigate the system to overcome many obstacles, in search of results. As in my case, even when the victim seeks justice through the court system, the perpetrator can receive a simple slap on the wrist with a reduced sentence to avoid jail time. Make no mistake, this result is not justice. While the admission of guilt is a step in the right direction, the lack of consequence in the form of jail time, absolutely adds insult to injury. In fact, the lack of justice after such an experience, actually has a negative impact and re-victimizes the individual suffering from that deeply traumatizing event.

Today, we have the power to change that with House Bill H5757 by requiring people who are found guilty of 2nd degree sexual assault to be forced to serve a minimum jail sentence behind bars, which cannot be suspended or deferred. After all, the victim never has the ability to “opt-out” from the abuse, nor the lifetime of sufferable consequences.  Hopefully, clarifying the mandated sentence, that include jail time for childhood sexual assault, will help deter predators from destroying a child’s life in the future. If the passage of this bill can help just one child in the state of Rhode Island, then publicly pursuing my perpetrator was worth it.
 

Note:  On November 16, 2022, Representative Sherry Roberts received justice in a 40-year sexual abuse case, where the perpetrator was her stepfather.  He started grooming her at the age of eight and sexually assaulted during her teenage years. Harry Noel Edwards received a 10-year suspended sentence with probation after he agreed to plead no contest to a reduced charge of second-degree sexual assault.

 

 

Israel and Hamas have resumed fighting now that a seven-day truce is over. The Israeli military announced today that it has resumed combat in the Gaza Strip, claiming Hamas violated the truce and fired a rocket toward Israeli territory. Israeli airstrikes have been reported in Gaza City, and drones have been reported over southern Gaza. During the truce, Hamas released 80 hostages in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in Israel Thursday calling for the truce to be extended, but after their meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said they swore to "eliminate Hamas" and that nothing will prevent that from happening.       Police are on the scene of an incident where a protester reportedly set themselves on fire ouside of the Israeli Consulate building in Atlanta. Officials say the protester suffered severe injuries and is now in critical condition. A building security guard also suffered minor burns while attempting to stop the self-immolation. Police described the incident as an "extreme act of political protest." The investigation is ongoing.        A federal appeals court is rejecting Donald Trump's bid to dismiss civil lawsuits seeking to hold him accountable for the U.S. Capitol riot. The three-judge panel denied Trump's argument he's immune to civil claims because he was president at the time. The former president is facing lawsuits from Democratic lawmakers and U.S. Capitol police officers who say Trump is responsible for the violence by his supporters during the riot aimed at overturning the 2020 election.        A federal appeals court is upholding a ruling that demands Texas remove a series of buoys in the Rio Grande. The floating buoys cover about a-thousand feet of water and are separated by large blades with serrated edges. Texas Governor Greg Abbott said the buoys were necessary to stop people from illegally crossing the border, although some opponents said they were a threat to human life. On Friday, a court ruled the buoys violate navigable waterway laws, and must be removed.        Olympic gold medalist swimmer Klete Keller is being sentenced for his role in the U.S. Capitol riot. On Friday, Keller was sentenced to three-years probation after taking a deal and pleading guilty to a federal charge of obstruction. Prosecutors argued his probation sentence would "send a message to the public you can do this and not get punished." Keller told the court he he takes full responsibility, saying he's "profoundly embarrassed" of his actions that day.        Actor Macaulay Culkin is getting his own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Culkin, best known for his role as Kevin McCallister in the "Home Alone" films, attended the Hollywood ceremony on Friday. He thanked his family and said his fiancee Brenda Song and two sons are his "three favorite people." His co-star from Home Alone, Catherine O'Hara, also attended, and gushed over his "perfect performance" when they worked together.