Speaker, City & State Legislators, DA Vance, Advocates Seek Increased Penalties for Criminals and Greater Support for Victims<\/p>\n
New York, NY \u2013 Taking action to keep dangerous sexual predators off the streets, Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn today announced a range of proposals that provide stiffer penalties for criminals and increased support for victims. Today\u2019s announcement follows a number of recent sexual assault crimes, including attacks in Central Park and Hudson River Park. Council Members Julissa Ferreras, Jessica Lappin and Peter Vallone, as well as State Senator Michael Gianaris and Assembly Member Aravella Simotas, joined Speaker Quinn in her announcement. The New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault, The Crime Victims Treatment Center at St. Luke\u2019s Roosevelt Hospital and CONNECT also participated.<\/p>\n
Speaker Quinn detailed a package of five proposals that take aim at sexual predators and help those who are victimized by their crimes:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Increase In-Person Appearance Requirements for Level 2 Sex Offenders
\n\u2022 Expand the time period within which repeat sexual offenders can be charged with persistent sexual abuse
\n\u2022 Increase penalties for multiple acts of public lewdness
\n\u2022 Secure dedicated funding to the City\u2019s Sexual Assault Response Teams (SART) program
\n\u2022 Call on judges to seek maximum penalties for sex crimes<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re here today because we are deeply concerned about the recent series of sexual assaults in New York City. These disturbing attacks underscore the need to crack down on sexual predators and help those who are victimized by their crimes,\u201d said Speaker Quinn. \u201cTo that end, we are calling for these reforms and will work together to ensure that they are enacted. I thank my colleagues at all levels of government and advocates for their dedication to this effort.\u201d <\/p>\n
The proposals presented by the Speaker will enable prosecutors and judges to seek justice with the strongest penalties for sex crimes, and include measures to combat repeat sexual attacks. The proposals also provide support for a crucial program that both assists victims of sex crimes and provides the evidence needed to identify and prosecute their attackers. Specifically, Speaker Quinn proposed:<\/p>\n
Increase In-Person Appearance Requirements for Level 2 Sex Offenders \u2013 Under state law, Level 2 offenders should be required to appear before law enforcement once a year to be photographed. Currently, only Level 3 offenders are required to appear each year, and Level 2 offenders appear once every three years.<\/p>\n
Expand the time period under which repeat sexual offenders can be charged with persistent sexual abuse \u2013 Under New York State law, the prosecution of persistent sexual abuse is limited by a ten year window. Furthermore, there are no restrictions on this time, meaning a criminal who serves an extended jail sentence and commits a repeat sex abuse crime upon release from jail could avoid punishment as a repeat sex offender.<\/p>\n
Increase penalties for multiple acts of public lewdness \u2013 Those who publicly expose themselves in a lewd manner multiple times can create real harm and perpetuate a continuum of sexual assault from street harassment to violent sexual attacks. It is important to provide a deterrent and an appropriate punishment to such behavior. The Council has already taken action and made serial acts of public lewdness a class A misdemeanor, a result of legislation sponsored by Public Safety Chair Peter Vallone Jr. However, there are no statewide penalties for this repeat offense. The state should follow the Council\u2019s lead and take action to change its laws.<\/p>\n
Secure dedicated funding to the City\u2019s Sexual Assault Response Teams (SART) program \u2013 Funding to this vital program should be baselined at its current funding level of $1.272 m and should not be placed on the city\u2019s PEG list. SART teams are based in the City\u2019s acute care public hospitals and provide around-the-clock, state-of-the-art forensic and counseling services to victims of sexual assault. SART personnel are specially trained forensic examiners and rape crisis counselors who, in addition to providing quality medical care to victims, play critical roles in law enforcement investigation by collecting and preserving criminal evidence, providing expert testimony on forensic issues and training the NYPD and EMS. It is the only program in the City that provides forensic exams of sexual assault suspects. When they are used, a rape victim is seen faster than s\/he normally would be and the evidence collection is of a higher quality. SART teams not only provide sensitive care for victims, they produce results that allow prosecutors to bring better cases and ultimately ensure that the criminals responsible for heinous crimes are punished.<\/p>\n
Call on judges to seek maximum penalties for sex crimes \u2013 Speaker Quinn sent a letter to New York State Chief Judge Jonathan Lippman, requesting his assistance in addressing the issue of sex crimes. In her letter she stated: \u201cIt is of vital importance that the citizens of New York feel that all of the branches of our legal system are working together to send a message that sex crimes will not be tolerated and to ensure that those committing sexual assaults receive the strongest possible sentencing.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to make New York City the safest city in America for women. These proposals will move us in the right direction by dedicating more resources to the problem of violence against women,\u201d said Council Member Ferreras, Chair of the Women’s Issues Committee.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese measures will help make our city safer by cracking down on sex offenders and getting victims the justice they deserve,\u201d said Council Member Lappin.<\/p>\n
Council Member Vallone, who authored the law changing a second lewdness conviction from a \u201cB\u201d misdemeanor to an \u201cA,\u201d says that Albany needs to do the same thing. <\/p>\n
\u201cAlbany needs to follow the lead of New York City and provide more protection to women on our streets and subways. A second offense MUST be punished more severely.\u201d<\/p>\n
State Senator Gianaris said, \u201cRecent sex attacks throughout the city are unacceptable and show we must do more to ensure women\u2019s safety. My legislation addressing \u2018persistent sexual abuse\u2019 to more effectively hold offenders accountable under the law would be a good start to keeping such miscreants off our streets. No one should have to live in fear of being threatened or assaulted as they go about their daily lives. I thank Speaker Quinn for the proposals she is introducing today as well as her continued leadership in the fight against sexual violence.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEarlier this year, I introduced a bill in the New York State Assembly to prevent sex offenders who repeatedly target women and children from finding leniency in legal loopholes,\u201d said Assembly Member Simotas. \u201cThe law must provide protection for the most vulnerable among us, not a shield for predators.\u201d<\/p>\n
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. said: \u201cThese recommendations proposed by Speaker Quinn and her colleagues in the City Council will help keep New Yorkers safe by ensuring more frequent monitoring of convicted sexual felons. Sexual assaults can create lifelong devastating consequences for victims, and we should do everything possible to make sure that sexual predators do not re-offend upon release.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault praises Speaker Quinn\u2019s proactive approach to sexual violence in our City. We support her efforts to strengthen the laws against public lewdness and repeat sex offenses,\u201d said New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault Executive Director Mary Haviland, Esq. \u201cIn addition, we are delighted to see her push for more stable funding for the Sexual Abuse Response Teams that respond 24\/7 in our public hospitals to victims of sexual violence. The Alliance and caregivers in the field have been fighting for this measure for some time as necessary to providing timely, sensitive and high quality care to survivors in New York City.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThese crimes are devastating to the survivors who experience them. They hurt our families and leave serious scare on our community. We applaud Speaker Quinn’s proposals and for taking this issue seriously,\u201d said Susan Xenarios, Director of the Crime Victims Treatment Center at St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital Center.<\/p>\n
\u201cCONNECT wholeheartedly supports Speaker Quinn’s proposals to more vigorously address sexual assault in our city,\u201d said CONNECT External Affairs Liaison & Educator Anindita Bhaumik. \u201cIf implemented, these measures will assure victims that they can get the support they need to heal, and by vigorously holding perpetrators accountable, will send a strong message: New York City does not support rape culture! There proposals are an important contribution to intervention AND prevention.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI congratulate Speaker Quinn for her steadfast support for those who have experienced sexual assault of any kind, and her advocacy of programs that address the needs of those who have experienced the horror of being the victim of a sex crime,\u201d said Council Member Gale A. Brewer. \u201cI am a long-time advocate of St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Hospital\u2019s Crime Victims Treatment Center that provides 24-hour, 7 day a week rape crisis counseling and Emergency Room support. I, too, urge that the City\u2019s Sexual Assault Response Teams (SART) be baselined. Their expertise is needed in the public hospitals. All of the counseling services that support victims of sexual assault in our hospitals should be fully funded. Perpetrators of sexual violence and public lewdness are in our communities. I also welcome proposals to stop these horrific crimes and to combat repeat offenders.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is nothing more important than making our streets safer for the women and children of New York City,\u201d said Council Member Margaret Chin. \u201cUnfortunately, those who commit sexual assault and lewd acts are likely to repeat this behavior. The proposals announced by Speaker Quinn today will give our laws more teeth and will allow the State to prosecute these predators to the fullest extent of the law. Equally important, the women of the City Council are calling on Mayor Bloomberg to stop any cuts in funding to the City’s Sexual Assault Response Teams. SART is for the victims and it would be disgraceful to cut this service after a summer of increased sexual assaults in our City. I want to thank Speaker Quinn for her continued leadership on this issue and for her compassion and advocacy on behalf victims of sexual assault.\u201d<\/p>\n
Said City Councilwoman Debi Rose (49th Council District): \u201cI applaud the Speaker for her leadership on this important public safety issue. The message the City Council is sending through this package of legislation is clear: NYC\u2019s policy is and will always be zero tolerance for repeat sexual offenders. We must get these predators off the streets as quickly as possible. This legislation will better enable our justice system to do just that, by making it easier for victims to identify perpetrators, and by increasing the penalties for these crimes. As a Council member who fought hard for SART funding, I also fully support the proposal to protect this funding from the City\u2019s PEG list \u2013 we must preserve the only funding we have in the City to train first responders on how to help victims of sexual assault.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Speaker, City & State Legislators, DA Vance, Advocates Seek Increased Penalties for Criminals and Greater Support for Victims<\/p>\n
New York, NY \u2013 Taking action to keep dangerous sexual predators off the streets, Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn today announced a range of proposals that provide stiffer penalties for criminals and increased support for victims. Today\u2019s announcement follows a number of recent sexual assault crimes, including attacks in Central Park and Hudson River Park.<\/p>\n
…<\/p>\n