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Protecting Domestic Violence Victims

Assemblyman Ortiz has introduced legislation on funding for GPS tagging devices which will be worn by sex offenders. It will require any person who has an order of protection issued against them, because of domestic violence, to wear an electronic monitoring device.

Domestic violence is a serious issue that affects families across our state. It occurs every 15 seconds in the United States which is more frequent than any other crime. According to data released by the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), there were more than 50,000 reported cases of domestic violence in New York State in 2006, and 133 homicide cases as a result of domestic violence. The monitoring device would allow pinpoint tracking of the perpetrator and provide a means of protection for victims of domestic violence. National Institutes of Justice statistics show that of those who are stalked by a current or former intimate partner, eighty-one percent are physically assaulted and thirty-one percent are sexually assaulted by that partner. NCADV also reported over 3,600 cases of forcible rapes in 2005 in New York State.

Assemblyman Ortiz stated: “I am very happy to see other public officials have realized how much this GPS tracking device means to the victims of domestic violence. Not only do GPS monitoring devices prevent perpetrators from hurting their victims but it also gives victims peace of mind. Additionally, it will save our state money.”

According to 2006 statistics from U.S. Department of Justice, the cost of intimate partner violence exceeds $5.8 billion each year, $4.1 billion of which is for direct medical and mental health care services, and nearly $1.8 billion are for the indirect cost of lost productivity or wages. “We can help reduce these tremendous costs by simply preventing the violence from occurring while creating a safer living environment for families and homes throughout our state”, said Ortiz.