Child Sexual Abuse

Criminal Statutes: In order to enforce laws against sexual abuse, an officer must first be able to classify those behaviors that constitute criminal sexual activity against a child. This can be a particularly challenging task considering the broad range of aberrant sexual behaviors exhibited by the adult population. In our state, the legislature defines sex abuse for law enforcement within Chapter 720 of the Illinois Compiled Statutes (ILCS), Sections 5/12-12 to 5/12-16. It should be noted that these statutes are very complicated and contain many aggravating factors. While students are not required to memorize each one, they certainly must be familiar enough with each statute to work productively with their respective State’s Attorneys in identifying appropriate charges and navigating through the Felony Approval process.

These statutes are as follows:

1. 720 ILCS 5/12-13 - Criminal Sexual Assault


2. 720 ILCS 5/12-14 - Aggravated Criminal Sexual Assault


3. 720 ILCS 5/12-14.1 - Predatory Criminal Sexual Assault of a Child


4. 720 ILCS 5/12-15 - Criminal Sexual Abuse


5. 720 ILCS 5/12-16 - Aggravated Criminal Sexual Abuse

The Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault (ICASA) website lists all possible statutes that can be used for charging in cases of sexual assault or the sexual abuse of children. Go to http://www.icasa.org/index.aspx?PageID=434 for more information.

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