BILL NUMBER: S7546

SPONSOR: BROUK
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the criminal procedure law, in relation to notifying
certain crime victims of the disposition of criminal trial

 
PURPOSE:

Requires the district attorney to mail disposition of criminal felony
trial to any crime victim not present at time defendant sentenced or
acquitted after completion of trial.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1: Amends subdivision 2 of section 380.50 of the criminal proce-
dure law by adding a new paragraph (g).

Section 2: Sets forth the effective date.

 
              

JUSTIFICATION:

There is a fundamental need for crime victims to be kept informed
concerning the criminal justice process in which they have become
involved. In some cases, crime victims can lose track of the state of
their case, miss court, dates, and not be informed on outcomes. At the
closure of a criminal case acquittal at trial or sentencing for a felony
- this bill would require the court clerk to mail the named crime victim
a copy of the final disposition.

For example: notifying the crime victim that the criminal defendant that
has pled guilty has then been sentenced to a certain number of years or
was given a fine of a certain number of dollars, or was sentenced to a
certain number of years of probation, or was acquitted after trial. This
legislation would provide restorative justice, closure, and finality to
a criminal case that crime victims may not have otherwise because they
were not present in court to witness and absorb this information them-
selves.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

This is a new bill.

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take place on the one hundred eightieth day after it
shall have become a law.