ASSEMBLY HOMELAND SECURITY AND STATE PREPAREDNESS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 4978

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  FEBRUARY 16, 2023

      The Assembly Homeland Security and State Preparedness Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 4978 with committee amendments.

      As amended and reported by the committee, Assembly Bill No. 4978 establishes the Division of Violence Intervention and Victim Assistance (VIVA) within the Department of Law and Public Safety.

      The newly created division will oversee and coordinate all violence intervention and prevention, and victim assistance and services performed by the Attorney General.  The division will provide services, administer and monitor programs, develop and implement strategies, serve as a resource center for other agencies and local communities, build partnerships within communities, and safeguard victims’ rights. 

      The Attorney General will appoint the executive director of the division.  The division will be organized into four key offices:

· Office of Trial and Criminal Justice Process;

· Office of Victim Support and Assistance;

· Office of Violence Intervention and Prevention; and

· Victims of Crime Compensation Office.

      The Office of Trial and Criminal Justice Process will coordinate and set policy for crime victims navigating the criminal justice process.  The office will advise, receive, and review reports from the New Jersey State Office of Victim-Witness Advocacy and the county prosecutor’s victim-witness advocates.  The office will also set State-wide policy regarding performance and compliance, and develop policies for witnesses and victims of crime who are not currently being served by the existing framework of victim-related services. 

      The Office of Victim Support and Assistance will oversee the Department of Law and Public Safety’s victim-related services.  The office will provide strategies and resources to address the needs of victims of crimes to intervene in violence and prevent repeat victimization.  The office will play a key role in setting trauma-informed policy and solutions for victims of sexual assault, victims of domestic violence and intimate partner abuse, youth victims, victims of discrimination and bias-based crimes, and immigrant populations.

      The Office of Violence Intervention and Prevention will oversee the department’s violence intervention and prevention work and grant-making initiatives, including community-based and hospital-based violence intervention services and programs. 

      The previously established Victims of Crime Compensation Office would be transferred to the Division of Violence Intervention and Victim Assistance.  The office will continue its victim compensation functions, duties, and responsibilities.

      Additionally, under this bill, the sexual assault unit would be housed in the Division of Criminal Justice and, in consultation with the Division of Violence Intervention and Victim Assistance, would oversee the operation of the county sexual assault nurse examiner programs and provide assistance to the counties for the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault cases.

      The membership of the Commission on Human Trafficking would be increased from 15 members to 17 members.  The bill adds the Executive Director of the Division of Violence Intervention and Victim Assistance or a designee as an ex officio member and increases the number of public members appointed by the Governor from four to five members.