New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services

Governor Paterson's Office of Taxpayer Accountability

What's New

Missing Persons Playing Cards – The second edition of a pack of playing cards featuring pictures of 52 missing individuals , unidentified people and unsolved homicide victims is now being distributed. The deck is distributed to jails across the states in hopes that an inmate who knows something, or heard something, about one of the cases will come forward. A PowerPoint presentation displaying all the cards can be viewed on the website of Hope4themissing.
DCJS Unveils New Rape Kit Video – DCJS recently revamped the New York State Sexual Offense Evidence Collection Kit, often referred to as the “rape kit,” to reflect advances in DNA technology and to streamline an inevitably discomforting physical examination. The kit is provided free of charge by DCJS to all hospital emergency departments across the state and allows for a standardized evidence collection process in all sexual assault cases. In addition, DCJS has produced a training video for medical professionals on the use of the new kit. Press Release, Excerpt from training video (flash video).
Domestic Homicide in New York State, 2008 – Domestic homicides in New York State increased 7.3 percent in 2008 while other homicides increased 2.6 percent, according to a new report by researchers at the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS). Press release, Report
Crime Down Nearly 5 Percent – Governor David A. Paterson and Deputy Secretary for Public Safety Denise E. O’Donnell announced that crime for the first half of 2009 was down 4.7 percent compared to the same time frame in 2008, with decreases in all seven “index” crimes. Press Release, Report
Hate Crimes in New York State – Governor Paterson’s Hate Crime Task Force has released a series of recommendations to address the scourge of bias-motivated crimes. Press Release, Report
Hate Crimes in New York State: 2008 Annual Report – Reported hate crimes in 2008 were most frequently motivated by anti-Jewish (37 percent), anti-black (25 percent), anti-gay (11 percent) and anti-Hispanic (4 percent) bias. More >
Juvenile Justice on the Airwaves – WAMC/ Northeast Public Radio has aired portions of the two Juvenile Justice Symposia held in May. Dr. Alan Chartock, president and CEO of WAMC, serves as guest moderator for the series on juvenile justice reform. On May 7, Dr. Chartock conducted an interview with the Hon. David L. Bell of New Orleans as part of the symposium on “Cost Effective Juvenile Detention Strategies.” Dr. Chartock’s interview on disproportionate minority representation in the juvenile justice system with national experts Barry Krisberg of the National Council on Crime & Delinquency and Laura John Ridolfi, The W. Haywood Burns Institute, was a highlight of the May 22 session, “Creating a Fair and Effective Justice System for Youth.” You can hear the interviews on WAMC by clicking on the links above.
Juvenile Justice Symposium Series – DCJS is hosting a symposium series on “enhancing community safety through cost effective juvenile justice reform.” Registration continues for the final forum in the five-part series, and materials from the sessions held in May, September and October are posted online. More >
Criminal Justice Forum ─ DCJS has produced three new “Criminal Justice Forum” programs on the following topics: the state's Crime Victims Board, Probation and Correctional Alternatives, and Offender Re-Entry. The half-hour shows air on public access television stations across the state. More >