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In Reply to: Can you tell us posted by Acheick on May 14, 2002 at 08:11:02:
Hi Acheick! Although I am not overly familiar with American criminal law I believe they are very similar. It is not uncommon for American points of law to be used as reference points in Canadian courts. As illustrated by the current scandal in Boston, re the Catholic abuse cases, sexual abuse in America is also a serious crime. I believe the definition of sexual abuse in the US is pretty much the same. The most signficant issue that differs would be, I think, the age issue. This issue would be focused on the age of majority (or when you are a legal adult). This may mean that in some states the age may be somewhere from 16 years to perhaps 18 years. I think the types of behaviours that would be described as sexual abuse, touching and non touching, would probably be the same. I have heard that in some states they are very aggressive in prosecution and sentencing of sexual abusers. I also believe that in the US there is no statute of limitations on sexual abuse crimes against children. Hope this helps.
