Customer Reviews

Justice Denied: What America Must Do to Protect its Children

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I am a survivor, and a recovering Catholic.
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I suffered at the hands of family members and religious heathens!
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With a stroke of the pen those SOL laws can be abolished.
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I have waited for many years. I thought this book would start the long process of vindication for us. Like millions before and since me, we wait. Will justice ever come to us? Or will the politicians continue to aide and abet in the protection of those that harmed for life all of the little children, still hiding in the shadows, of shame and hurt.
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Ms. Hamilton, will you stand for us or continue to fall for the lies and procrastinations, of your fellow colleagues in the legal realms? Will you demand justice for us and those that are being abused as I write this? Will you do for us, as you do for those you represent in a court of law? Will you do your Grandfather proud,...again? Or leave a legacy of shame for your children?

Children had almost no personal rights through the middle ages. They were often punished as adults but had less perceived value than chattel. In our era we pride ourselves on our enlightened approach to childens' rights and welfare. If you believe we are truly enlightened this book will shatter that belief. Professor Hamilton describes the legal quirk whereby victims of child abuse are denied their day in court and perpetrating abusers are enabled by the law. The concept of the Statute of Limitations is designed to prevent miscarriages of justice yet in the case of child abuse it promotes them. Child abuse abvocates and victims have struggled for changes in State legislation to promote laws that are far more protective of children and their rights. The shocker is that the two institutions that have done the most to prevent enlightened legislation are the institutional Catholic Church, mostly the bishops, and the insurance industry. The Church is afraid to bare its secrets and lose its power (and money too) and the insurance industry blatantly puts its money way before the welfare of children. This book is solid. It is not a polemic. It is a painful and at times shocking revelation of well documented facts by a leading constitutional legal scholar and fearless advocate for the rights of children. Get the book. You'll be shocked, scandalized, angry and hopefully motivated to insist that your lawmakers do the right thing.

This is an informative book written by an expert in the subject of statutes of limitation [SOL] on sexual abuse against children. It was timely for me, as the Florida legislature had just passed a law doing away with SOL'S for the crime of sex abuse against children. I wrote to our Governor an urged him to sign the new legislation into law. Gov. Crist did sign the bill and it goes into effect on July 1, 2010. That's a god thing.

This book is all about changing the statute of limitations for victims of child abuse with a lot of background on all of the places and people it would impact. Well written and easily understandable.

Marci Hamilton shows that state legislatures could, with a veritable stoke of the pen, do more much to protect children. What stops the legislatures are special interests, but "Justice Denied" has the potential to launch a civil rights campaign that puts children first.

Hamilton makes a complex and embarassing issue easy to understand and correct. Childhood sexual abuse is a topic no one wants to believe happens. Hamilton focuses on the present law's limitations and how to protect future generations of children from this nightmare. Every state legislator should be made to read this book.

This book is amazing. Amazing, first, because I,(a person with very little knowledge of the legal system), can actually understand it! Anyone who has experienced child abuse and come to the realization of its impact on his or her life, can quickly recognize someone who "gets it". Marcy Hamilton gets it. This book has inspired me to take braver steps in my role as a child advocate, the first of which is going to be a letter to my State Senator to push for reform in our statute of limitation laws for child abuse!!

In this book, Hamilton tackles the complex issue of childhood sexual abuse head on yet in language that is clearly written and not full of unnecessary legalese. She argues that the legal system has obstinately persisted in supporting the sexual predators at the expense of victimized children. For Hamilton, the solution is simple. The statute of limitations for sexual offenses against children must be eliminated. But simple is not apparent, especially to those with a vested interest in keeping those victimized out of the courtroom.

Many in the hierarchy of the Catholic Church have actively and successfully lobbied in numerous states to defeat legislation that even opens a window of opportunity for victims. Yet, Hamilton is not guilty of Church bashing. She acknowledges the role that the Church has played in this arena but points to the insurance lobbyists as the primary, albeit quieter, barrier. So too have teacher unions, some defense attorneys, and finally the many of us who might fall into the category of uniformed public, been complicit in looking out for something or someone other than children who need a voice.

Of the many arguments that Hamilton proposes, one that I support wholeheartedly is those who have been sexually abused are not likely to report their abuse until adulthood and the rate of nondisclosure is estimated to be nearly 90%. In my own research I found that over 25% of those abused by a priest did not disclose until after that age of 49. Of those abused by someone other than a priest, 28% had not disclosed until the ages of 40-49.

The benefits of abolishing the statute of limitations seem obvious. I agree with Hamilton. We will have better knowledge of those among us who have abused children. More children will have greater protection. Finally, members of the clergy are by no means the primary perpetrators of sexual abuse. No organization is exempt and sexual abuse is most often committed by a family member. We must take a stand for the civil rights of our children. As Hamilton documented, in California, where the statute "window" was enacted, only .005% of claims were found to be false and 300 new abusers were identified. Surely this is worth the cost.

Want to protect children? Hamilton gives simple, concrete actions adults can do today to help. Many like to demonize child predators for hurting innocent kids. Few, however, really know how to catch, expose, remove and jail them, so that kids will be protected. This is a terrific, solutions-oriented book written in a no-nonsense, compelling style. I recommend it highly!

Marci Hamilton is so knowledgeable and experienced in the field of child abuse. She identifies two of the culprits who constantly fight against child rights legisation: the catholic church and the insurance industry. She has surveyed state laws regarding statute of limitation on bringing suits against pedofiles. It is also interesting how she has identified states that have taken a proactive position on children's rights and how legislators in a certain state have deemed dog health care issues more important than those of children. It is also distressing that our nation appears to be more concerned about adult protection rather than protecting our children. How sad. Hopefully this book will make an impact on legislators in our nation, both state and federal.