Kayleigh's Law: Justice Beyond the Sentence

For survivors of violent crimes such as sexual abuse, a conviction does not always equate to never encountering their offender again. Kayleigh’s Law can change that. 

The Kayleigh’s Law Act of 2026 seeks to strengthen protections for victims of federal violent and sexual crimes by establishing clear, enforceable lifelong no-contact orders. The proposed legislation recognizes that “justice does not end at a sentencing” and preserves a victim’s autonomy by allowing  court-approved modifications and, most importantly, helping protect survivors from revictimization.

In 2020, Kayleigh Kozak, a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, learned that her abuser was attempting to end his parole early. Seeking protection from any future contact, she tried to obtain a no-contact order. However, the Arizona courts determined that she was ineligible to petition for one because there had been no recent encounters from her offender. Her experience sparked the movement that became Kayleigh’s Law. 

Upon learning more about similar cases, Kayleigh found that victims across many states could remain vulnerable to unwanted contact and renewed trauma after their offenders’ sentences were complete. No-contact orders could be inconsistent, temporary, and difficult to obtain and enforce. For survivors, the completion of an offender’s sentence did not necessarily eliminate concerns about future contact. In response, Arizona enacted Kayleigh’s Law in September 2022, allowing victims of certain serious violent and sexual crimes to obtain permanent, lifelong no-contact injunctions against their offenders.The law also preserves survivors’ autonomy by allowing them to petition the court to modify an order if needed. Together, these protections are intended to make victims’ safety, dignity, and long-term protection a continuing priority in the pursuit of justice. 

Following Arizona’s enactment of Kayleigh’s Law, similar provisions have been proposed at the federal level. H.R. 8481 has passed through the House of Representatives and is awaiting further action in the Senate. Its Senate companion, S. 5372, was introduced by Sen. Mike Lee and referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

The proposal has also drawn widespread support from survivor advocates, law enforcement and policy leaders including CPAC.  Despite the overwhelming benefits, the limited objections  argue the bill has potential to expose an offender to increasingly severe penalties. However, supporters of the legislation argue that this is an exaggeration, as the Supreme Court does not allow a person to be sentenced to life in prison for a violation of a protective order. Put simply, this is a common sense tool to allow victims protection against their abusers, which puts the power back in the hands of the survivor.  

Kayleigh’s Law would establish a new federal mechanism to protect survivors of violent and sexual crimes long past the ending of their offender’s sentence. The Senate must take the appropriate actions to protect victims from their offenders. As Rachel Wright, National Policy Director of Right On Crime put it, “True justice should not be measured just by the length of a prison sentence, but by the restoration of the survivor.”