About Marci Hamilton: Marci A. Hamilton, JD, is a leading legal scholar, child protection advocate, and the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of CHILD USA, a nonprofit think tank dedicated to ending child abuse and neglect through legal reform and research. She is also a Professor of Practice in Political Science and a Fox Family Pavilion Non-Resident Senior Fellow in the Program for Research on Religion at the University of Pennsylvania. A nationally recognized expert on child sex abuse statutes of limitations, Hamilton has advised legislators in nearly every state and successfully argued before the U.S. Supreme Court in Boerne v. Flores. She is the author of Justice Denied: What America Must Do to Protect Its Children and God vs. the Gavel: The Perils of Extreme Religious Liberty, and continues to shape policy and public understanding of child protection, constitutional law, and institutional accountability.
In this episode, Ben, Jennifer, and Marci Hamilton discuss:
- Statutes of limitations and their impact on survivor justice
- Civil legislation as a tool for truth and accountability
- Institutional and political resistance to reform efforts
- Prevention, education, and cultural change in child protection
Key Takeaways:
- Statutes of limitations prevent thousands of survivors from seeking justice, silencing their voices and allowing abusers and institutions to avoid accountability long after the harm is done.
- Civil window laws that reopen expired claims not only empower survivors but also expose the hidden scope of abuse, forcing institutions to reform and communities to confront uncomfortable truths.
- The cost of inaction is immense, as untreated trauma leads to lifelong emotional, physical, and financial consequences that are often shouldered by families, taxpayers, and society at large.
- Despite lobbying from religious institutions, insurance companies, and unions to maintain secrecy and limit liability, bipartisan reform efforts and survivor advocacy continue to drive national and international progress in access to justice and prevention.
"When survivors don’t come forward until they’re middle-aged or elderly, why are you shutting them up? They’re the ones who know." — Marci Hamilton
Connect with Marci Hamilton:
Website: https://childusa.org/
Books: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Marci-Hamilton/author/B001HCZUPA
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marci-hamilton-8bb3087
Twitter: https://twitter.com/Marci_Hamilton
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/professormarciahamilton/
Connect with Ben Andreozzi:
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