The Office has long been in the vanguard of prosecuting domestic and interpersonal violence, child abuse and elder abuse. It has used innovative approaches to existing laws, advocated new laws, used new forensic techniques, and developed a coordinated multi-agency approach focused on prevention, detection, and effective investigation and prosecution. We must continue and build on this policy.
- Victim Safety Comes First. Domestic and interpersonal violence homicides usually occur when a victim has decided to leave the relationship. We should continue the Office’s current policy of not forcing victims to testify when they are not in a position to leave a relationship safely.
- Family Focused Justice. Cases currently prosecuted by the Family Violence and Child Abuse Bureau will be handled by a new Family Protection Bureau, with additional investigators and support staff. This unit will continue its close liaison with Safe Horizon, which has set up a Child Advocacy Center in Manhattan to address the special needs of child victims. We plan to more fully staff the Child Advocacy Center. We can improve the handling of domestic and interpersonal violence cases – over 95% of which are prosecuted in Criminal Court – by assigning them to more experienced lawyers. We also need to work with the courts to increase the number of judges available to try misdemeanor domestic and interpersonal violence cases so that judges can impose sentences that protect victims.
- Cyber Stalking. Stalking is an aspect of most domestic and interpersonal violence cases and, increasingly, perpetrators stalk their victims on-line. Just as the Office took the lead in drafting the State’s first stalking law, it should take the lead in using IT laws and computer forensics to investigate and prosecute Cyber Stalking. The Family Protection Bureau and Computer Crimes Unit will work closely together on these cases and continue the Office’s ground breaking work on internet sex predators and child pornography rings.
- Teen Date Violence. Domestic and interpersonal violence, which cuts across socio-economic groups, also affects teenage relationships. Young boys who have seen their mothers brutalized sometimes repeat the cycle of violence when they start dating. We can help young people by a creating a “Healthy Relationships” outreach initiative focused on preventing family violence, targeted especially to teenagers. This interactive program, which would be offered to public and private schools, youth groups, synagogues, mosques, temples and churches, and other community and not-for-profit organizations, would be run by a psychiatric social worker and community outreach worker.
- Safe at Work. Domestic and interpersonal violence attacks may take place on the way to work, at the work place, or coming home. This means that, for victims, their job can be either a safe haven or another crime site. The Office will work closely with Safework, an innovative program developed by Safe Horizon and employers, to develop case-specific solutions to protect employees from emotional and physical harm, and on educational and preventative outreach.
