Tuesday’s charges are connected to the sexual assault Jones was convicted for in 2014. In that case, he pleaded guilty to charges including sodomy, wanton endangerment, and the distribution of material depicting the sexual performance of a minor. Jones allegedly took part in filming and sharing the video of his participation in the assault of a 15-year-old boy and shared it on the social media platform Snapchat, The Hill reported. According to local authorities, Jones and several others assaulted the boy with a sex toy while he was unconscious at a party. The assault resulted in injuries to the victim’s colon and bladder.

Despite pleading guilty in the original case, Bevin pardoned Jones’ sentence in December 2019 because he believed there was no evidence linking Jones to the crime outside of the "testimony of kids who were getting a better deal by throwing [him] under the bus," the Courier-Journal reported. The same set of facts are being used to prosecute Jones now.

According to The Hill, during his final weeks in office Bevin pardoned more than 650 people, including a man convicted of reckless homicide and robbery. Victims and lawmakers alike were outraged at the pardons Bevin issued, including Senate Minority Floor Leader Morgan McGarvey, who said they signaled a “lack of judgment” and abuse of the judicial system. Despite the backlash Bevin faced as a result of his decision to pardon convicted criminals, Bevin stood his ground, claiming that America provides second chances. "The myriad statements and suggestions that financial or political considerations played a part in the decision making process, are both highly offensive and entirely false," he wrote on Twitter in December.

The effects of any form of abuse can be long-lasting and often lead to health concerns, including effects on a victim’s mental health. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), the nation's largest sexual assault advocacy organization, “every 73 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted. And every 9 minutes, that victim is a child.” Data shows that those between 12-years-old to 34-years-old are at the highest risk of experiencing sexual assault, RAINN reported. In the U.S., rape and sexual assault cases rarely make it to trial, and those that do hardly ever achieve a conviction.

A 2019 National Criminal Victimization survey by the U.S. Department of Justice shows that only 23% of rape or sexual assault victims reported the crime to police. This percentage is even lower for those whose abusers receive sentences in court. As decision-makers in a country that prides itself on justice for all, U.S. officials should give more prioritization to sexual assault and similar crimes and work harder to grant victims the justice they deserve instead of pardoning the perpetrators.