One trait unites many district attorneys in Pennsylvanian counties: they are hesitant to bring charges against those accused of sexual offenses.
According to thorough reporting by Christine Vendel and Jenna Wise of PennLive, prosecutors in Pennsylvania have not pursued an average of 75% of reports of rapes and sex assaults, including those against minors, since 2019. This is a concerning statistic.
Gavin Holihan became the district attorney for Lehigh County in January 2024. On September 26, 2024, he was pictured at the Lehigh County Courthouse. Saed Hindash | Regarding lehighvalleylive.com
Lehigh County has the lowest prosecution rate for reported sex crimes, at roughly 7% over the previous five years, according to a series of stories from PennLive. Additionally, in 2023, police in Elk, Forest, Centre, and Lehigh counties failed to prosecute over 90% of alleged sex crimes. The percentage of cases prosecuted in Adams and York County was 12 and 15 percent, respectively.
Lancaster’s prosecution rate was 20%, while Lebanon County’s was somewhat higher at 17%.
These counties’ low prosecution rates raise alarming concerns about whether local law enforcement and prosecutors are doing enough to protect victims of sexual assault and make sure those responsible are held accountable.
The results of a grand jury inquiry into former state representative Brian Ellis of Butler County were released by Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo. Jennifer Storm, a State Victim Advocate, is positioned in the center, while Shea Rhodes, the director of Villanova University’s Institute to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation, stands at the far right. For his alleged involvement in a woman’s sexual assault in Harrisburg in 2015, Ellis was not charged with a crime.
August 26, 2019.
[email protected] Dan Gleiter
Authorities contend that claimed victims frequently give evasive and contradictory accounts, and that allegations of rape and sexual assault can be difficult to prove. In Pennsylvania and across the country, advocates for victims of sexual assault claim that the system is biased against them. These accusations were confirmed by women interviewed for PennLive’s reports. They frequently complained that prosecutors and police didn’t believe them. Additionally, they charged that officials’ presumptions about how victims should react to sexual attacks were out of date and unrealistic.
According to the victims, many police officers lack the necessary training to deal with victims of sexual assault, and they frequently subject them to additional anguish during interrogation.
Investigative research by PennLive has revealed a pervasive trend of undervaluing the suffering experienced by victims of sexual assault and a lack of knowledge about how to properly investigate sex crimes.
PennLive spoke with four women who claim to have been raped about their terrifying experiences telling police about the incident and answering district attorney questions. They claimed that the criminal justice system, which was set up to weaken them, shield their abusers, and stifle their demands for justice, caused them even more suffering.
Pier Hess Graf refused to come out for an interview when a PennLive reporter waited for hours at her office to ask her how she handles sex offenses.Vendel, Christine
In one terrible instance, a lady who claimed to have been raped was charged with the crime herself because the police didn’t trust her account. Pier Hess, the district attorney for Lebanon, accused the 26-year-old woman of fabricating a complaint.
All things considered, PennLive’s research demonstrates that police and prosecutors frequently have a tendency to doubt the accounts of accusers and are ignorant of the fact that women may respond differently to sexual assault, including by being unable to defend themselves.
During the months of investigation, there is one glimmer of hope: officials in certain counties are acting to support victims of sexual assault and reform the system.
Clay Merris, district attorney for Perry County.
October 14, 2024.
[email protected] Dan [email protected] Dan Gleiter
Specialized training for sex crime investigators has begun in Perry County. Additionally, the county has one of Pennsylvania’s top five prosecution rates for these types of offenses. Four sex crime cases were tried by Perry County prosecutors last year, and all of them resulted in convictions. In the county, guilty pleas were reached in thirteen additional cases.
The district attorney’s office in Pennsylvania counties with low sex crime prosecution rates should take note of the hopeful recent trend in Perry County. We implore them to update their processes for dealing with these situations very away and inform the public of their progress.
The accusations made by men, women, and children who come forward should be treated seriously. Additionally, they are deserving of respect and decency.
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