Law enforcement
Crimes: SCRIVNER Act
The SCRIVNER Act requires faster state charging decisions in certain sexual-crime cases involving elected officials and adds prosecutor transparency before mental health diversion.
The law sets a 30-day deadline for the Department of Justice to file eligible cases involving an elected official and a minor victim. It also requires prosecutors to explain when alleged facts support a diversion-ineligible serious offense but those charges are not filed.
What the law does
- Requires the Department of Justice to bring charges within 30 days after completing an investigation that finds an elected official committed an eligible rape-related crime against a minor and the case is appropriate for prosecution.
- Allows prosecution after the 30-day deadline if charges were not filed on time.
- Requires prosecutors to state on the record why they are not seeking diversion-ineligible charges supported by alleged facts or preliminary-hearing evidence.
- Requires prosecutors to state whether they consulted the victim about the charges filed in those cases.
Who it affects
- Elected officials investigated by the Department of Justice for eligible rape-related crimes against minors.
- Minor victims in those investigations.
- Prosecutors, defendants, and victims in cases where alleged facts support serious offenses excluded from mental health diversion.