New Laws Impact Victim’s Rights

Tomorrow - July first - marks the first day of a number of new laws in the state of Georgia…two of those impacting victim’s rights in a big way.  The first allows crime victims, relatives and friends to testify at trial through pre-recorded audio or video.  The second allows victims who have suffered a mental injury broader access to state-funded counseling and therapy services. Today News Three sat down with the director of the Chatham County District Attorney’s Victim-Witness Assistance Program to discuss what the changes mean for those who are victims of crime.

In February - two victims, their family and friends took the stand in a Chatham county courtroom to describe the devastating affects an armed robbery in Ardsley Park last year had on their lives.  It was emotional testimony in a public forum that in future cases could be handled more privately.
Helen Bradley with the District Attorney’s Victim-Witness Assistance Program says, “It can be very difficult for family members of murder victims to do that in person in a courtroom - this new law that goes into effect July first allows the families to testify by audio or video.”  Prosecutors will be able to petition the judge to have the testimony taped - an option that wasn’t previously available. 

Another change broadens access to state-funded counseling and therapy services to those who have suffered from crime mentally, if not physically…like those threatened with violence and even those who simply witnessed it.  “We have been pushing for that here in savannah for years and years - if someone is standing outside at 7:00 at night and the neighbor is shot and killed and there’s all sorts of chaos - the persons who witnessed that crime need to be eligible for victim compensation to help with counseling expenses,” says Bradley.  Funding for the programs in many instances coming from those responsible for the trauma according to Bradley, “Fines and fees, dui fees - some matching federal money, probationers fees - so a lot of the funds for the victim compensation program come form criminals themselves, which is really kind of nice - that it’s not our taxpayer money that goes for this.”

It is important to note that the new access to victim’s compensation funding is *not* retroactive - in other words - it’s only available to those who suffer mental injury from a crime that occurs on or after july 1, 2009.  Chatham county victims who need help applying for the assistance can contact the D.A.’s Victim-Witness Assistance Program at (912) 652-7329.

A number of other laws take affect tomorrow - among them…House Bill 228 - which reorganizes the state’s Health and Human services agencies and creates a new department of behavioral health and developmental disabilities.  A new law which names April as Confederate Heritage and History month, thanks to legislation that also designated Savannah’s Ralph Mark Gilbert Civil Rights Museum an official state civil rights museum, and a law allowing for the adoption of embryos.