History

In 2003-04, NYSCASA received a three year grant from the U.S. Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime to develop a State Victim Assistance Academy (SVAA) for New York.  The NYS Victim Assistance Academy is modeled on the National Victim Assistance Academy (NVAA) and is part of a national Department of Justice-initiated network of victim services education programs founded on state laws, policies and practices governing services and remedies for victims of crime.  The Academy was offered in June, 2005, 2006 and 2007  at Buffalo State College, the academic partner for this grant.

Historically justice systems have focused on outcomes for the offender. In the 1970s, as a result of the hard work and commitment of advocates and survivors, the U.S. Congress began to provide compensation and remedies in recognition of the needs of victims. Legislation such as the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and Victims Of Crime Act (VOCA) created funding and state-based Crime Victim Boards to administer victim compensation.

With over five hundred programs serving crime victims in New York, professionals and volunteers from criminal justice, law enforcement, health care, mental health, human services, victim advocacy and allied professions now address the needs of crime victims. According to the 2004 NYS Statistical Yearbook, New York State residents experience over 500,000 crimes a year. Each one of these crimes affects the primary victim and his or her family members, friends, colleagues, employers, and surrounding communities as secondary victims.

The Victim Assistance Academy represents a major step forward in the field of criminal justice and victim services in New York State. It establishes a foundational set of skills and knowledge to help survivors to recover from victimization. The New York State Victim Assistance Academy is one of the first ten in the nation to be developed with funding from U.S. Department of Justice and is modeled after the National Victim Assistance Academy developed in the mid 1990s.

The New York State Victim Assistance Academy is designed by an Advisory Committee composed of academic experts and leaders from the field. The first Academy was offered in June 2005. Twenty-seven practitioners and academic instructors taught over thirty topics to fifty students who have less than five years of experience in their fields. All instructors and presentations received high marks on student evaluations. The next annual Academy is scheduled for June 2007. We continually refine the program based on recommendations from evaluation findings, new legislation, crime trends and research findings.

Benefits
Sensitive, informed care; a core goal of the NYSVAA, can reduce the costs, trauma, and re-victimization of crime victims to improve healing and recovery. Research shows that a history of violence substantially increases the risk of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, a host of other mental health disorders and problems including depression, suicide attempts, anxiety disorders, alcohol, and other drug abuse problems (Kilpatrick, Edmunds, and Seymour 1992; Kilpatrick and Resnick 1993; Saunders et al. 1992). Secondary wounding also occurs when the people, institutions, caregivers, and others to whom the victims turn for emotional, legal, financial, medical, or other assistance respond by discounting, denying, and disbelieving (Matsakis 1996)

The impact on a victim's mental health is compounded by cultural and language barriers that inhibit access to and utilization of services.

At the national level, researchers found that victimizations generate $105 billion annually in property and productivity losses and outlays for medical expenses. When the values of pain, long-term emotional trauma, disability, and risk of death are put in dollar terms, the costs rise to $450 billion annually (or an annual "crime tax" of $1,800 per person). (Criminal Offenders, Crime Victims and Substance Abuse, Martin A. Ramsey, 2002). Reduction in secondary wounding and trauma will reduce long-term costs of crime.

Without the NYSVAA, there is no comprehensive education or training for crime victim service providers in New York State.