BILL NUMBER: S4443

SPONSOR: FERNANDEZ
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the executive law, in relation to establishing crime
victim and trauma survivor recovery centers throughout the state

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

This legislation establishes five regional crime victim and trauma
survivor recovery centers across New York.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 would task the Office for the prevention of Domestic Violence
with creating five regional crime victim and trauma survivor recovery
centers in New York ensuring geographic coverage for all New Yorkers.
These centers will focus on helping individuals who have been a victim
of a violent crime, including individuals who have suffered gunshot
wounds; been a victim of sexual assault; been a victim of domestic
violence; been a victim of human trafficking; been a victim of a hate
              

crime; or had a family member assaulted or killed.

Services to be offered shall include but not be limited to:  trauma-in-
formed clinical case management; evidence based individual, group and
family psychotherapy; crisis intervention; medication management; legal
advocacy; assistance with filing police reports and accessing victim
compensation funds; mental health services; help with relocation of an
individual when safety is threatened; and transportation to and from
medical appointments, court dates, and other related services.

Services are to be free of charge, and each crime victim and trauma
survivor recovery center shall work with community partners to educate
the local community to be more trauma informed.

Section 2 is the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

It is well documented that the sooner an individual receives appropriate
supportive services to help address issues caused by being the victim of
a crime or the survivor of trauma, the better the outcome will be for
that individual. While one in four Americans have become victims of a
crime in the past decade, with half of those being violent crimes, fewer
than one third will receive the help needed to sufficiently recover.
Notably, young people of color have the highest likelihood to become the
victim of a crime, yet are the least likely to receive supportive
services. By establishing Crime Victim and Trauma Survivor Recovery
Centers, we can provide comprehensive, trauma-informed care to those
impacted, and advocate for better trauma-informed interventions within
the broader community.

Currently, crime victims and trauma survivors are forced to navigate a
hodgepodge of different providers to access legal services, trauma-in-
formed therapy, substance abuse treatment, and advocacy services that
can help put the pieces back together after a traumatic incident. More
often than not, victims of a crime are simply unable to meaningfully

access the critical care they desperately need and deserve because too
many barriers prevent them from doing so.

Given the documented links between trauma and criminality, increased
risk for violent or aggressive behavior, increased rates of alcohol and
substance abuse, and incidence of mental illness, it is vital to an
individual's long term health and well-being, as well as the safety of
our broader community, to address trauma early with a full array of
targeted, accessible, evidence-based interventions.

This legislation seeks to provide intensive, holistic care to crime
victims and survivors of trauma in an affirming and supportive setting,
delivering justice, de-escalating crisis situations, restoring their
economic stability, and breaking the cycle of crime and violence in our
community.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2021-2022: S7537 / A9094

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

TBD

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.