For Immediate Release
Media Contact: Bob Cooper
(208) 334-4112
Date: January 20, 2006
Seventeenth Report on Prosecution of Child Sexual Abuse Released
(Boise) - Attorney General Lawrence Wasden and Governor Dirk Kempthorne today delivered to the Idaho Legislature the 17th annual report on the prosecution of child sexual abuse.
The report is prepared and submitted to the legislature each year pursuant to Idaho Code § 67-1405. The report was prepared under the direction of Dr. Robert Marsh of the Department of Criminal Justice Administration at Boise State University.
The report covers cases of child sexual abuse in which criminal charges were filed in Idaho courts. The report for Fiscal Year 2005 covers cases filed between July 1, 2004, and June 30, 2005. It includes statistical data on victims and offenders, disposition of cases and sentencing practices. The report does not include data or estimates on unreported child sexual abuse or reported cases that do not result in criminal prosecution.
“The report finds, as it has every year, that the abuser is almost always a person known and trusted by the victim and the victim’s family,” Attorney General Lawrence Wasden said. “Only three defendants were strangers to the victim. This suggests that parents must know the people with whom their children spend time. They must also be vigilant that those in relationships of trust with their children do not seek to exploit that trust."
“This report can help us focus on the true tragedy of these crimes,” Governor Dirk Kempthorne said. “Over a quarter of the victims of adult defendants were our youngest Idahoans – age 11 and younger. Equally disturbing is that more than one out of three defendants in a child sexual abuse case is also a juvenile. By any measure, this continues to be one of the most heinous and permanently damaging crimes for the victim.”
Here are some of the key findings of the report:
- 259 cases were filed against adult defendants, an increase of 4 cases from the previous year.
- 116 cases were filed against juvenile defendants, an increase of 47 cases from the previous year.
- 54% of the victims of adult defendants were between 12 and 15 years old, 27% were 11 years old or younger.
- 76% of the victims of juvenile defendants were 11 years old or younger.
- 52% of the adult defendants were acquaintances of their victims, 9% were natural parents, 5% were stepparents, and 6% were other relatives.
- Less than 2% of the adult defendants were strangers to their victims.
Click here to view the report.
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