A new online tool will allow victims of crime in upstate New York to more easily find the legal help and services they need.
The New York State Office of Victims Services has announced that $1 million in federal funding will help create an online portal to connect crime victims with local services. The grants were awarded by the U.S. Department of Justice.
OVS Director Elizabeth Cronin said the Crime Victims’ Legal Network is needed to help victims navigate the legal system. Cronin said the service will be especially valuable for the underprivileged.
“What we have found in New York is that there is really a disparate patchwork of services that are available to people and that they’re kind of siloed. So that there’s family court, there’s immigration, there’s housing court. So it’s very hard for people, especially those who lack resources, to understand all the different systems that are out there and how to access them,” said Cronin.
The Network will cater to the 57 counties outside of New York City. Cronin says it can be more difficult for victims in rural parts of the state to locate and access services than people in New York City.
“60 percent of the New York State population lives outside of New York City, but yet it accounts for 55 percent of reported crime,” said Cronin. “And as you know, so much of New York is rural, there are very low-income areas, and there’s a lot of need for legal services in these areas, and it’s much more difficult for people to get access to them.”
According to the state Office of Court Administration, about 2.3 million New Yorkers, many low-income, are involved in civil cases without legal representation. But the web portal aims to do more than just connect victims and families with prosecutors.
The first phase of the project will involve a partnership with the University at Albany’s Center for Human Services Research. Center Director Rose Green said UAlbany will conduct a survey of 500 cases to pinpoint what kinds of services are needed.
“We’re going to be looking at the types of help they are seeking, the types of help they are knowledgeable that exist. We are going to be looking at their specific needs, so for example, a domestic violence survivor might have needs in terms of housing and doesn’t know where to go,” said Green.
An advisory committee of crime victim advocates, community-based organizations, and local law enforcement officials will offer their input.
Anne Erickson, President and CEO of the Empire Justice Center, which is also partnering with the state on the project, said having the organizations that work with victims in communities every day come together is an important step in the process. Erickson is also a member of WAMC’s Board of Trustees.
“And having those folks around the table who are in there on a day-to-day basis can help inform that so that whatever recommendations we come out with are going to be grounded in reality and will be able to implemented in a practical way,” said Erickson.
The state is also partnering with non-profit Pro Bono Net.
Once the assessment is completed over an 18-month period, the next phase will involve developing the tools to meet the needs identified.
