2a) Arkansas Statute of Limitation is six years for rape
(class Y), knowingly transmitting a disease (class A), sexual assault 1st
degree (class A), and transportation of minors for prohibited sexual conduct (class
A). It is then cut down to 3 years on sexual assault 2nd, 3rd,
4th degree, Incest, and most offenses that involves children. Misdemeanors
and violations are one year. Statute for limitation cannot be extended for more
than 3 years if the accused is continually absent from the state or has no reasonable
ascertainable place to live, stay or work within the state, and also if the
accused has an ongoing charge for the same conduct. If an offense took place in
the office by a public servant 5-10 years after leaving office or of it being
discovered it still can be commenced by the prosecution. DNA also comes into
question for rape, because in the face of DNA statute of limitation no longer
holds and is eliminated once DNA forensic and other information emerged against
the defendant or someone in the system as evidence based on advanced in
technology.
2b) Both rape and sexual assault are classified as sexual offenses and are felonies. They basically hold the same meaning the only difference lie in the age of victim and offender. Rape is a person that engages in sexual intercourse or deviate sexual activity with another person; forcibly, with another that cannot consent, with a minor and the offender is the minor’s guardian or is related to the minor. The age requirements is less than 14 years of age and the defendant is more than 3 years older. There is sexual assault in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th degree. First degree is, for the most part, same thing as rape but extended to include the victim is not the victim’s spouse and the offender is someone that holds a position; employee in Arkansas Department of Correction, teacher, or is in a position of trust or authority and the offender is not more than 3 years older than victim. Second degree is someone 18 years or older engage with someone under 14 or 12 years old and involves sexual contact. Fourth degree is with someone under 16 years of age and offender is at least 20 years old. Both 3rd and 4th degree involves intercourse and deviate sexual activity, while 4th degree adds sexual contact.
http://aspe.hhs.gov/hsp/08/sr/statelaws/statelaws.shtml#Arkansas
http://www.womenslaw.org/statutes_detail.php?statute_id=5881#statute-top
3) Six year old Jersey Bridgeman was found dead in an empty house November 20, 2012 not far from where she lives in Bentonville, Arkansas. The person who is charged with her death is her babysitter, Zachary Holly, 28. He is charged with rape, kidnapping, and burglary, and capital murder. In his arraignment last month he pleads not guilty and is scheduled for a pretrial on Feb. 28. The night before Jersey's body was found he was with her, babysitting her along with his wife Amanda Holly. On that night it was Zachary who took Jersey back to her house and placed her on her bed after the mother, DesaRae Bridgeman, came to pick her and her sister as well. Less than a year ago the father and stepmother of Jersey Bridgeman, David and Jana Bridgeman are serving 18-year and 12-year sentence, respectively, of chaining the same little girl to a dresser. Right now Holly is in county jail and the semen found on Jersey’s body was taken to a lab. No result has been mentioned on whether it’s a match to a cheek-swab test of Zachary Holly.
4) The Invisible War (2013), A new movie that just came out last year taking aim at military sexual assaults. A different angle than most dare to speak of, an issue that has been feared of bringing into light. It is based on interviews by those who have been sexually assaulted and rape, and point of views of plaintiffs. It paints a picture of the lack of attention that goes into this subject by those who are in authority to do something about it, but yet has been hard to issue forth investigation when the victims come forth. It is not only on women but on men. Sixty five thousand sought treatment and men accounts for 40%. This movie is no doubt is accurate of rape/sexual assault military-wise, giving facts and real life statements from victims themselves.
The song by Angel Haze “Cleaning Out my Closest”. It’s a personal account about how this rapper was sexually abused and assaulted when she was young and because of that she is psychologically messed up. The person she’s referring to in this song, her abuser, seems to be just one of many that was “successful” in sexually assaulting her around the age of seven, if not younger. In one line she states that the abuser would tell his friends and they will join, and in another situation everyone knew what was going on but said nothing. This song paints a good picture of what sexually assaulted victims go through, especially if they are a child. The words of a child over the word of an adult don’t seem to stand a chance. They themselves do not know what to do but to cooperate with their abuser while at the same time all their emotions are piling up inside until that forever messed up their childhood and adulthood.
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