RÉSUMÉ DIGEST
ACT 72 (HB 251) 2021 Regular Session Jones
Existing law (C.Cr.P. Art. 572) provides that no person shall be prosecuted, tried, or
punished for an offense not punishable by death or life imprisonment, unless the prosecution
is instituted within the following periods of time after the offense has been committed:
(1)Six years, for a felony necessarily punishable by imprisonment at hard labor.
(2)Four years, for a felony not necessarily punishable by imprisonment at hard labor.
(3)Two years, for a misdemeanor punishable by a fine or imprisonment, or both.
(4)Six months, for a misdemeanor punishable only by a fine or forfeiture.
Existing law (C.Cr.P. Art. 573.1) provides for an exception to these existing law time
limitations for the crime of exploitation of persons with infirmities, which shall not
commence to run until the crime is discovered by a competent victim or, in the case of an
incompetent victim, by a competent third person.
New law provides that the time limitations established by existing law (C.Cr.P. Art. 572)
shall not commence to run as to any crime wherein the victim is a person with infirmities
until the crime is discovered by a competent victim or, in the case of an incompetent victim,
by a law enforcement officer. Further provides that the exception to the existing law time
limitations shall include the following existing law crimes: simple battery of persons with
infirmities, cruelty to persons with infirmities, exploitation of persons with infirmities, sexual
battery of persons with infirmities, and abuse of persons with infirmities through electronic
means.
New law provides for definitions for the terms of "persons with infirmities" and "law
enforcement officer".
Effective August 1, 2021.
(Amends C.Cr.P. Art. 573.1)