| Specialized sex offense courts are designed to enhance community safety by increasing defendant accountability, improving the provision of services to victims and enhancing coordinated community supervision. In New York, the first sex offense court opened in Oswego County in 2005. As of 2007, the model has expanded to four sites in Nassau, Orange, Suffolk and Westchester Counties. Planning for a sex offense court is underway in Erie and Kings County. |
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The initial planning and implementation of the Oswego Sex Offense Court saw both challenges and benefits. The Honorable James McCarthy, the first of the New York State dedicated Sex Offense Court judges, discussed this planning process with the Center for Court Innovation:
Q: What were the specific challenges the Oswego Sex Offense Court faced?
There was resistance because of lack of knowledge. Some have the mistaken concept that the designated sex offense courts somehow de-criminalize sex offenses, when in fact the model is about properly sentencing convicted sex offenders. Defendants that deserve to go to prison go to prison. There are no "breaks" because someone is in the sex offense court.
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Sex Offense Courts: The Next Step in Community Management?
A close look at the development of the Sex Offense Court Model in New York State which promotes justice by providing a comprehensive approach to case resolution, increasing sex offender accountability, enhancing community safety and ensuring victim safety while protecting the rights of all litigants.
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For more information on Sex Offense Courts contact:
Juli Ana Grant
Sex Offense Management Programs
212.373.1694
jagrant@courtinnovation.org |
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FEATURED PUBLICATION
Establishing a Model Court: A Case Study of the Oswego Sex Offense Court
By Juli Ana Grant
An in-depth look at the establishment of the first designated sex offense court in New York State. In partnership with the New York State Office of Court Administration, the Center for Court Innovation helped design the specialized sex offense court model to enhance the oversight of offenders and the provision of services to victims.
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