BALTIMORE (AP) - Some lawmakers in Maryland want to ban the practice of offering sexual assault victims a waiver that says they don’t want to go forward their case.
The Baltimore Sun reported Monday that some lawmakers want to do away with the waivers so that victims aren’t discouraged to report and prosecute the crimes.
Experts say that investigators sometimes misuse waiver forms to pressure victims to stop pursuing charges or to get cases off their plate without a thorough investigation.
Some police departments have recently stopped the practice. But the Harford County sheriff’s office continues to use waiver forms. The sheriff said the waivers are used “sparingly,” and only when a victim has requested that an investigation end.
The proposed legislation would stop police from presenting victims with forms prevent prosecution of the crime or waive the victim’s rights.
Anne Arundel and Baltimore counties stopped using the forms in sexual assault investigations amid a Baltimore Sun investigation of the waivers last year.
Baltimore Police and the county police departments in Howard, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties say they do not use the waivers. The Carroll County Sheriff’s Office also doesn’t.
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