Delaware-2013-SCR26-Draft

SPONSOR:	Sen. Poore & Rep. Heffernan, Barbieri, Hudson, Keeley, Longhurst, Miro, Mitchell, M. Smith

DELAWARE STATE SENATE

147th GENERAL ASSEMBLY

SENATE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION NO. 26

ESTABLISHING A TASK FORCE TO STUDY AND COMPILE STATISTICS RELATING TO VICTIMS OF CRIMES WHO HAVE DISABILITIES.

WHEREAS, victims of crimes with disabilities may be more vulnerable to certain crimes; and

WHEREAS, various divisions of state government are involved in the criminal justice system and obtain valuable information;and

WHEREAS, this information, if properly compiled without identifying names or identity information of victims, could provide valuable statistics to prevent crimes against people with disabilities; and

WHEREAS, it is necessary to develop measures and remedies to address the safety and justice needs of victims of crime with disabilities; and

WHEREAS, this information currently is not readily available.

NOW, THEREFORE:

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the 147th General Assembly of the State of Delaware, the House of Representatives concurring therein, that a "Disability Victim Awareness Task Force" is established to study and make findings and recommendations regarding compiling crime statistics to identify the number of victims who have disabilities including the type of crime and the type of disability.The information sought shall not identify names or identifying information of these victims.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Task Force shall be composed of a member from each of the following organizations:

(a) Developmental Disabilities Council (DDC), appointed by the Chair of the DDC;

(b) State Council for Persons with Disabilities (SCPD), appointed by the Chair of the SCPD;

(d) Center for Disabilities Studies (CDS) at the University of Delaware, appointed by the Chair of the CDS;

(e) Criminal Justice Council (CJC), appointed by the Chair of the CJC;

(f) Statistical Analysis Center (SAC), appointed by the Director of the SAC;

(g) Delaware Criminal Justice Information System (DELJIS), appointed by the Executive Director of DELJIS;

(h) Department of Justice, appointed by the Attorney General;

(i) Delaware Police Chiefs Council, appointed by the Chair of the DPCC;

(j) Department of Health & Social Services (DHSS), appointed by the Secretary of DHSS;

(k) Victim Rights Task Force (VRTF), appointed by the Chair of the VRTF;

(l) The Department of Children, Youth, and their Families (DCYF), appointed by the Secretary of DCYF;

(m) People's Place, appointed by the Director of People's Place;

(n) The Children's Advocacy Center (CACDE), appointed by the Executive Director of CACDE;

(o) Department of Safety and Homeland Security (DSHS), appointed by the Secretary of DSHS;

(p) One member of the Senate, appointed by the President Pro Tempore; and

(q) One member of the House of Representatives, appointed by the Speaker.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Disability Victim Awareness Task Force shall be administered with staff support using the resources of the Delaware Developmental Disabilities Council (DDC).The representative of the DDC shall act as Chair of the Task Force and the Chair may recommend qualified persons for membership to the Task Force.The Task Force shall convene its first meeting no later than 60 days after enactment and shall meet every other month thereafter.The Task Force shall report its findings by March 30, 2014 to the President Pro Tempore of the Senate and to the Speaker of the House of Representatives.