This legislation is vital in protecting the welfare of our children. In most cases, courts hand down lengthy prison sentences to perpetrators who molest children unrelated to them. The CARE Act of 1999 would equalize sentencing of perpetrators of sexual abuse without regard to familial relationship of a perpetrator to the child victim. It will also establish the first national database of statistics on each state's incidence of child sexual abuse, whether intrafamilial or extrafamilial. The legislation gives the states one year after enactment to adopt equalized sentencing language.
Rape is rape, whether by a stranger or a family member.
Sexual predators who target children can be neither cured nor controlled. Easing their release into our communities is a virtual guarantee that these atrocities will continue. We must ensure that perpetrators who sexually abuse the very children they should be protecting are kept locked away, because to such predators, ANY child is a potential victim. Please co-sponsor this important piece of legislation immediately. Thanks for the link.