Garden State Times

Legislation sponsored by Senator Declan O’Scanlon that would allow sexual assault victims to be notified of certain developments in their criminal case was approved today by the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee.

"This measure would help dramatically improve the investigatory process for sexual assault cases,” said O’Scanlon (R-13). “By allowing victims to receive additional information about their case, and to provide input, this legislation would expanded the rights of victims and allow our criminal justice system to more effectively meet their needs."

O’Scanlon’s bill, S-1017, would require sexual assault victims or a victim’s designee to, upon the victim’s request, be notified of certain developments concerning the processing of DNA evidence collected as part of the criminal investigation for their case.

Specifically, the bill expands the New Jersey's “Sexual Assault Victim's Bill of Rights” to give sexual assault victims the right to be informed if:

a DNA profile of an assailant was obtained from the processing of evidence in the sexual assault case;

a DNA profile of an assailant has been entered into any data bank designed or intended to be used for the retention or comparison of case evidence;

there is a match between the DNA profile of an assailant obtained in the sexual assault case and any DNA profile contained in any data bank designed or intended to be used for the retention or comparison of case evidence; and

sexual assault evidence is submitted to a forensic laboratory, if that evidence is compared against any data bank, and the results of the comparison.

To speak with Senator O’Scanlon about this legislation, contact Jonathan Azzara in the SRO communications department.