Matthew R. Smith and Marcus A. Smith | Ronald Wilson Reagan Public Policy Award
Little Rock, Arkansas
Dr. Marcus Smith and his brother, attorney Matthew Smith, worked tirelessly to pass legislation in 2013 that eliminated the state statute of limitations on the prosecution of child sex offenders in Arkansas. The Smiths, just 18 months apart in age, grew up unaware the other had been sexually abused by the same perpetrator. In 2012, after returning to practice medicine in his hometown,
Dr. Smith encountered his perpetrator coaching youth at a baseball field. Despite feelings of shame, Dr. Smith contacted local law enforcement and disclosed his childhood abuse. Dr. Smith’s disclosure as an adult led to an investigation in which more than 10 adult men were identified as victims of the coach.
The Smiths took action when they realized that although the Arkansas statute of limitations precluded prosecution of the coach for crimes he committed in the 1980s and 1990s, they could help other victims. The brothers prepared proposed legislation and submitted it to sponsor Arkansas State Senator Jimmy Hickey. By December 2012, the proposed legislation became Senate Bill 92, “An Act to Amend the Limitations Period for Certain Sex Crimes Involving Minors; and for other purposes.”
The Smiths testified before the state legislature and again before the House Judiciary Committee in support of the bill. They provided moving testimony of their personal abuse and cited scientific research and studies conducted nationwide by national advocacy and victims’ rights groups in favor of the law. On February 21, 2013, Senate Bill 92 became Act 144 and was signed into law by Arkansas Governor Mike Beebe.
The law the Smiths proposed and pushed to enactment provides law enforcement and prosecutors with greater tools to hold sexual predators accountable, thus benefitting the entire state of Arkansas.