COLUMBUS, Ohio – An Ohio Supreme Court decision is expected soon that could impact the amount of financial compensation child sexual abuse victims can receive.

Jessica Simpkins was raped at the age of 15 by her church pastor – a man hired by Grace Brethren Church in Sunbury despite the knowledge that he had previously sexually abused two girls.

In a civil suit, a jury awarded Simpkins $3.5 million for pain and suffering, but the amount was reduced to $250,000 due to a state law that caps damages.

She says she's being re-victimized and took the case to the Ohio Supreme Court.

"I just feel like they're protecting the church,” she states. “When they had the accusations made against him previous, if they wouldn't have let him start this church, it would never have happened. "

Simpkins' attorney argues the law is unconstitutional as applied to juvenile sexual abuse victims, as they can suffer more emotional damages than physical or economic harm.

But attorneys for the church maintain large awards on non-economic injuries are subjective and difficult to quantify.

Arguments were heard in December and a decision is expected any day now.

Sexual assault victims often face a long, hard road of recovery, and Simpkins says she can't get over the horror of her attack.

"There's like two to three times a week it's like a whole tape of the day will just replay in my head and it's like I have to freeze for a while because I can't do anything, I can't stop it,” she relates. “I know I need counseling, but I know I'm not ready to talk about it. I have a big problem with trusting people and I have an alcohol problem."

Some supporters contend caps benefit the state's economy by creating a fairer and more predictable civil justice system.

But Simpkins' attorney, John Fitch, says it's bad public policy that shields those who engage in the sexual abuse of children.

"The law actually protects those who are responsible for the rape of the child, be it the rapist on in this case, an employer who does nothing in the face of accusations of sexually predatory conduct,” he states. “That's just outrageous and it's immoral."





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FRANKFORT, Ky. -- A new report finds county jails made more than $9 million from payments made for phone calls by incarcerated people, the year before and during the pandemic.

The report by Mike Harmon, the state's auditor of public accounts, examined more than 70 county jails' communication services and equipment contracts that were active between July 2019 and November 2020.

Marcus Jackson, smart justice organizer and coordinator at ACLU Kentucky, said inmates' families foot the bill for marked-up prices on a number of services, including food purchased from commissary vendors. He added it is commonplace for jails to receive financial perks from vendors.

"No one that's incarcerated has the money to pay these high phone bills," Jackson asserted. "It's their family members that are already in bad situations and barely making it paycheck to paycheck that are also paying taxes, that's paying these high bills."

Jackson noted in addition to financial burdens, high costs for phone calls cause emotional distress and makes it harder for inmates and their families to maintain social ties, all of which research shows can boost successful re-entry into society.

Some municipalities, such as New York City, have introduced legislation to provide communication services in jails and prisons at no cost.

Jackson noted in Kentucky, inmates can be charged upwards of $10 for a 15-minute phone call.

"Let's say if a person calls home every day, once a day. Three hundred dollars per month added to a struggling family," Jackson explained.

The report also found some contracts with telecommunications companies were based on verbal agreements. Auditors say unwritten contracts raise serious policy issues and can obscure the flow of money from county governments, taxpayers and officials.

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- A bill signed into law in Springfield protects the participants in restorative-justice practices from having what they do or say used against them in court.

Restorative justice is a voluntary alternative to the criminal legal system. It brings together offenders and victims to find ways to repair the harm done, and the methods vary from group meetings or peacemaking circles, to mediation-style communications.

Madeleine Behr, policy manager for the Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation, said legal privilege will make these practices more viable options for survivors.

"Now, without this privilege, that really deters people who have caused harm from being open and honest in the process about what actually happened," Behr explained. "And for a survivor, so many people are looking for an apology, a reckoning, an admission of guilt."

Behr added the criminal legal system can be traumatizing for survivors, who may have to convince prosecutors of what happened to them or testify in court. Public opinion polls show more than 60% of Americans support restorative-justice policies.

Behr pointed out there is a common misperception criminal-justice reform and victim advocacy are oppositional. But she argued restorative justice is an example of the crucial collaboration between reformers and advocates for victims' rights.

"It not only offers perpetrators to take accountability and recognize the harm that they've caused in a different way, but it also really expands options for survivors, who are looking for some form of accountability and probably don't want to get it from the criminal legal system, for a whole host of reasons," Behr stated.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker also signed laws to end deception in interrogations of juveniles, to allow state's attorneys to petition for re-sentencing of offenders, and create a task force to study ways to reduce the prison population.

Sen. Robert Peters, D-Chicago, who sponsored the restorative-justice bill, said the laws are important steps, and even more can be done to ensure public safety.

"Where everyone has a roof over their head, a good school, a good job, a sense of neighborly love and community, that is real public safety for all," Peters stressed.

PACIFIC COUNTY, Wash. -- As parts of the country rethink criminal justice, a small county in Washington state is providing a model on how to better serve communities.

Pacific County, on Washington's southwest coast, is one of the Stepping Up Initiative's first "innovator counties." The aim of the initiative is to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in jail.

Rosanne McPhail, grant coordinator for the Pacific County justice mental health collaboration program, said the county has ensured people are linked up with behavioral health specialists once they leave jail.

"Pretty primary to us at the beginning was the need for someone to be in the jail that would act as that connector," McPhail explained. "And we did implement a jail liaison position when we went into implementation phase."

McPhail recounted Pacific County joined the initiative in 2015 because they were seeing a high number of people with mental illnesses in their jail and a high rate of recidivism. She noted collecting and sharing data is a key ingredient to the success of their program.

Pat Matlock, chief criminal deputy for the Pacific County Sheriff's Office, said he has seen a big change since the Stepping Up Initiative was implemented.

Pacific County is small, with a population of about 20,000 and a jail that holds 50, and Matlock pointed out they use every resource they have to get by. He added there are procedures in place to mark people's progress once they come in contact with the criminal-justice system.

"We've seen a sharp decrease in the recidivism of people who are high utilizers in our jail facility because we have those warm handoffs when they leave," Matlock stated. "While they're in our facility, they meet with the liaison, they get hooked up with the services they need to help them succeed outside of our facility."

McPhail believes counties of all sizes can benefit from the Stepping Up Initiative, which has facilitated conversations across the country.

"We've benefited from connecting with other counties and learned what other counties are doing in certain areas and then be able to adapt it to what will work in our area because of our size," McPhail remarked.

There are seven counties in the original cohort of the initiative, including counties in California, Kansas and Florida.