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| NYC Dept. of Corrections Announces Groundbreaking Crime Victim’s Bill of Rights for Staff |
| By NYC Department of Correction |
| Published: 04/25/2012 |
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New York—The New York City Department of Correction (DOC) released this week a groundbreaking bill of rights for its staff who have been victimized by crime. The Crime Victim’s Bill of Rights for the NYC Department of Correction Workforce was announced Monday, April 23, at a candlelight vigil on Rikers Island during the department’s annual recognition of National Crime Victims Rights Week. It is believed to be the first crime victim’s bill of rights anywhere that focuses on corrections personnel and is part of the department’s commitment to providing victim-friendly, victim-focused services to all victims of crime. When she was appointed to lead the Department of Correction in 2009, DOC Commissioner Dora B. Schriro made concern for victims a top priority. To date, most of the department’s victim-focused initiatives—like the establishment of a Victim Advisory Board and the development of a victim’s rights curriculum for the DOC Academy—have focused on victims in the general public. The new bill of rights recognizes that many DOC staff face the complex challenge of carrying out their duty—the care, custody and control of people incarcerated for criminal acts—even as they struggle with their own experience of having been victimized by crime and when the perpetrator of the crime could well be in the department’s custody. “Far too many DOC officers and staff—people who serve New York City with pride and distinction—have been touched by crime,” said Commissioner Schriro. “The Crime Victim’s Bill of Rights for the NYC Department of Correction Workforce is a way for us to take care of our own staff while they take care of criminals on behalf of New York City.” DOC used an online survey and focus groups in developing the bill of rights. The result, a single document stating all the state provisions and departmental directives that pertain to DOC staff who are hurt by crime, either on the job or otherwise, will help ensure that DOC personnel who are affected by crime know about and access the services to which they are entitled—beginning with the right to be treated with dignity and respect by the department and all of its employees. Commissioner Schriro’s commitment to helping victims dates back to her time as director of the Missouri Department of Corrections, when she helped create one of the nation’s first state corrections-based victim assistance programs. It continued during her tenure as Director of the Arizona Department of Correction, when state inmates raised over $1.4 million for crime victims. In recognition of this career-long commitment, earlier this month, on April 20, the federal government’s Office for Victims of Crime (OVC)—part of the Office of Justice Programs within the U.S. Department of Justice—awarded Commissioner Schriro the Allied Professional Award, which recognizes an individual or individuals from a specific discipline outside the victim assistance field for their service to victims and/or contribution to the victims’ field. New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has praised Commissioner Schriro for bringing her commitment to crime victims to New York City, saying, “…not only does Dora ensure that inmates are treated fairly and offered opportunities for growth and post-incarceration success, but she has also taken it as a personal charge to advocate for victims of crime. As Commissioner, she is leading the way in jail systems in ensuring that victims’ voices are heard….” |
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For the first time corrections facilities staff are also being recognised as victmised persons.They are oftenly forgoten.Being righfuly means their hardship and suffering are all being fully recognised.Thumb up for the new bill! Mr.Stephane luako Lombo