Statute of limitations on sex crimes

Dear Feministing community,

I need your help, advice, hints, anything.

I live in California, and have been reading a lot lately about the heartbreakingly large backlog of untested rape kits sitting in the state’s police departments. As the economy here gets worse, and more and more cuts are made (several departments in my area have put down their cold case departments), I fear many victims will never get justice. A big reason their cases will never be heard is that there is a statute of limitations on rape cases.

California’s is 10 years, which seems like a long time, but when you figure in bureaucracy and budgets, it can take at least that long for something to happen. I would like to try to get a proposition on next year’s ballot eliminating the statute in cases where there is a usable DNA profile. As I understand it, the statute was put in place to prevent unfair convictions based on faulty eyewitness identification. But an accurate DNA profile changes everything.

I know this will do no good for most rape victims, who get raped by people they know. But any dent in the sadly large number of rapes that go unpunished is good. Moreover, this particular proposition would hopefully not mess with our economy further; it would just give cops and prosecutors more time in a budget crunch.

I have a few contacts in local law, but I am looking for local groups who might back me on this. Also, I would really love to get a good legal opinion on this.

Can any of you amazing folks help?