Yesterday, representatives from Joyful Heart, including myself, went to Albany to advocate for the expansion of New York State’s DNA Databank to include samples from all convicted offenders. Right now in New York, state law only allows for collection of DNA from offenders convicted in just 48% of all crimes. We went up with a statewide coalition of advocates, law enforcement, survivors and policymakers. We met with representatives in both political parties in the Senate and Assembly, as well as members of the press. We went with a simple message: pass all crimes DNA legislation. We know how important DNA can be in bringing about justice for survivors of sexual assault, and how important justice can be in the healing process. Since New York’s DNA Databank was established in 1996, thousands of crimes—including 3,353 sexual assaults and 800 murders—have been solved using evidence in the Databank and many, many more have been prevented. Solving each one of these cases brings a measure of healing to survivors and their families. At a press conference held at the Capitol and lead by Linda Fairstein, a national expert on criminal justice issues and Joyful Heart founding board member, two courageous survivors spoke about their experience waiting for the justice and living in fear. One of those survivors, Cassandra, lived through a horrific assault in her home in 2006. Though her attacker had been convicted of a low-level offense in 2003, it did not meet the threshold to compel him to give a DNA sample so he was able to go on to attack a half a dozen other innocent people with impunity before he was finally convicted of an assault which required him to submit DNA, linking him to the terrible acts of violence he inflicted on Cassandra and other victims.

He took more than my personal property and jewelry. He took my peace of mind and security of my own home, throwing off his bloody clothes with literally throngs of police, helicopters and dogs at his back. My peace of mind remained shattered for 14 long months until his arrest in October of 2007. The tragedy is that the horrors this man went on to commit against other innocent people during that 14 months never had to happen... He wasn't in the DNA Databank, so he remained free. We're not asking a lot of our legislators. The DNA database has never been compromised. No information from it will be used except to match suspects to crime scenes. So many horrible crimes can be stopped before they happen if we take a DNA sample from everyone convicted of a crime... Just please, do it: pass this law.

Lawmakers listened to our message and the stories of Cassandra and other survivors yesterday. Coalitions of victims’ groups from throughout the state have put their support behind the bill, as have New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Governor Andrew Cuomo. In a letter address to Majority Senator Leader Dean Skelos and Speaker of the Assembly Sheldon Silver, the Governor wrote:

Together we share the sober responsibility of keeping New Yorkers safe from harm and ensuring justice for all of us. No single tool has been more important than DNA in making certain that we discharge this responsibility fairly, swiftly and effectively...The time has come to say simply: Yes. We know what works. Now, let's do what works.

We are hopeful that members of Senate and Assembly will pass this legislation and that the survivors and families of victims whose cases remained unsolved will not have to wait for the healing and justice this legislation would provide. Mariska Hargitay, Joyful Heart's founder and president, wanted to be with us but was unable to attend. She said in a statement, "I am proud to stand with survivors, advocates and members of the criminal justice community to support the expansion of the New York State DNA Databank to send a powerful message to survivors: ‘We hear you. You have suffered enough. Your healing—and pursuit of justice—are our priorities.’" You can read more about this issue and our efforts in various news outlets, including The New York Times, the New York Post, the Times Union, and the New York Daily News. And be sure to check back here for how you can help our efforts.