The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse has released the report Criminal Justice, containing reform recommendations to improve criminal justice responses to cases of institutional child sexual abuse. Characteristics of institutional child sexual abuse cases, such as young and particularly vulnerable victims, common myths and misconceptions, and lengthy delays before an investigation takes place, can often reduce the effectiveness of criminal justice responses to these cases. In light of this, the report outlines 85 recommendations for reform, including applying contemporary rather than historical sentencing standards, allowing greater use of evidence by multiple victims in relation to a single perpetrator (known as tendency and coincidence evidence), and the introduction of new offences, including ‘failure to report’ and ‘failure to protect’. View the fact sheet outlining the recommendations, or read the full report.
