THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27, 2005
QUEENS COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY
RICHARD A. BROWN DELIVERS KEYNOTE ADDRESS AT DOMESTIC VIOLENCE FALL CONFERENCE
“Finding Solutions” is Theme of Conference at York College
Queens County District Attorney Richard A. Brown was the featured speaker at the “Domestic Violence: Finding Solutions” Conference held at York College this morning. The annual fall conference was sponsored by Queens Borough President Helen M. Marshall, the Task Force on Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Child Maltreatment & Elder Abuse and the Women’s Center at York College.
District Attorney Brown delivered the keynote address at the Thursday morning session following remarks by Dr. Marcia Keizs, President of York College, and Borough President Marshall, who chairs the Queens Task Force on Domestic Violence.
“Domestic violence remains an extremely serious and pervasive problem with potentially life threatening consequences,” said District Attorney Brown. “According to the most recent statistics, one in three women will suffer some physical abuse during her lifetime from someone she knows. Six million American women are beaten each year by their husbands or boyfriends. Four thousand are killed – and children are abused in 70% of the households where domestic violence takes place. Here, in Queens Country, we have taken an aggressive approach to prosecuting domestic violence cases by establishing a Domestic Violence Bureau that has proven to be highly successful in holding battereres accountable for their actions and providing counseling and support to those who have been victimized. Indeed, Queens County has one of the highest domestic violence conviction rates and one of the lowest dismissal rates in the state.”
The District Attorney’s Domestic Violence Bureau is nationally recognized as one of the most effective in the country in prosecuting abusers and in assisting victims of domestic violence. In 2004, according to the New York State Office of Court Administration, Queens County had the highest number of domestic violence convictions in the City of New York and the lowest dismissal rate. The current conviction rate for the Bureau’s felony domestic violence prosecutions is 94 percent. In addition, the Bureau takes more pre-indictment felony pleas in domestic violence cases than the rest of the City combined.
Staffed by a dedicated team of specialized prosecutors and trained counselors that annually handle more than 5,000 cases, the District Attorney’s Domestic Violence Bureau has pioneered many innovative procedures in the investigation and prosecution of domestic violence cases. Among the initiatives is a “riding” program that enables prosecutors to reach victims – whether in a hospital, police precinct or their homes – within hours of an incident. This early outreach allows prosecutors to assess the level of danger and assist in the investigation to maximize evidence collection. The Bureau has also been in the forefront of efforts to use new technology, including digital photographs of victims’ injuries and digital 911 tapes to enhance its cases. In fact, Queens was the first county in New York City to fully utilize digital cameras and the Internet in domestic violence prosecutions. Digital cameras are now present in every Queens police precinct.
The Domestic Violence Conference is being held in the main building of York College, located at 94-20 Guy Brewer Boulevard in Jamaica, Queens. The conference is scheduled to run from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.