SEX CRIMES

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Sexual assault and abuse are pervasive and devastating crimes that impact people from all walks of life. Lucy knows that these crimes often victimize and revictimize the most vulnerable New Yorkers, including children, the elderly, trans people, people with disabilities and the undocumented. For far too long, survivors’ voices have been unheard by the very institutions charged with supporting them. Lucy is committed to prioritizing justice for all survivors of sex crimes, whether the crime occurs in the street, in the workplace, on campus, on the internet, at home, or elsewhere.

To protect our most vulnerable, Lucy will:

Advocate alongside survivors for “consent” to be fully defined in the New York State Penal Law.

  • Hold all people who commit sex crimes accountable — power and wealth will not be a defense, and the Office’s equal access policy will apply to all attorneys representing people charged with sex crimes and misconduct.

  • Invest in a robust sex crimes unit staffed with trauma-informed attorneys, investigators, clinicians, and advocates who embrace survivor empowerment as a core part of their mission.

  • Provide all ADAs with survivor-focused training, including trauma-informed prosecution, victim-centered interviewing skills, cultural humility, and implicit bias training.

  • Ensure that all sex crimes investigations and cases are handled by the same attorney(s) from start to finish.

  • Inform survivors of developments in a timely fashion and provide regular updates so that they understand how their cases are progressing.

  • Partner with the Safe Horizon Child Advocacy Center to support child survivors of sexual trauma and their families.

  • Improve communication with the Special Victims Bureau of the Police Department and include police personnel in training.

  • Create an Advocates Advisory Council that meets routinely to build trust and open communication between survivors and the DA’s Office.

  • Institute a voluntary survey for survivors to assess their perceptions of how their needs were met, and integrate feedback into Office policies and practices.

  • Collaborate with non-profit and academic organizations to regularly evaluate the Sex Crimes Unit’s alignment with evolving best practices in psychology and the neurobiology of trauma.