Marsy's Law & General Fund 2022 Crisis Allocation

Yes, the 2022 budget season ended but the 2023 season will officially begin in just a few months. 

Back in November, we finalized the 2022 budget, one of the areas that continue to trouble me is the funding allocation for Community Services.  27 local agencies applied for funding to cover 48 programs, for a complete list of Request for Proposal (RFP) click here.  An unprecedented $7,275,944 was received on requests to cover the dire need many in our community continue to experience. CDD Community Service staff had a little over $2M to cover the RFP's.  They worked diligently to divide the limited funding among the established priorities of Crisis Intervention Services, Prevention Services and Activities & Recovery and Stabilization Services.

Out of the 27 agencies, six focused on human trafficking, adult and child sexual assault, domestic abuse, prevention, education & intervention. The limited funding called for tough decisions to be made, as shown below these agencies didn't get fully funded, the additional agencies that applied met similar faith.  On January 18, Chief Barnes's blog highlighted 17 calls in its report, 7 were associated with domestic abuse.  Ironically on the 18 we also heard from leaders in our community, who have dedicated their lives to advocate for victims and survivors.  They are calling out to policymakers to solidify support to victims by properly funding Crisis Services. 

I couldn't agree more!  We as policymakers and as a community must do better for those who need our protection and support.  Covid19 has exacerbated a pandemic that has been plaguing our city for years.  We cannot continue to look the other way while people including children continue to suffer abuse, sexual assault and continue to live in fear.

Please read the article below about how Marsy's Law has given a voice to the victims of abuse.  Continuing to underfund Community Services is equivalent to silencing the voices of the most vulnerable.  I urge you to pull together as a community and to advocate and demand a budget increase to support organizations focused and centered on "Crisis Intervention Services", "Prevention Services and Activities" & "Recovery and Stabilization Services".

Thank you!!!

____________

"Marsy's Law is working, but crime victims need more resources

Wisconsin residents on April 7, 2020, overwhelmingly approved Marsy's Law, a constitutional amendment for crime victims. An impressive 75% of Wisconsin voters and all 72 of Wisconsin counties voted "yes" for Marsy's Law, providing strong, enforceable rights for victims of crime.

Marsy's Law has changed the culture in our courtrooms to one where victims and their rights are at the forefront. That in and of itself is why Marsy's Law has such broad support.

But even with Marsy's Law taking effect, that doesn't mean more resources aren't needed to help crime victims become thriving survivors.

The State Journal's recent article "Prosecutors, public defenders in 'staffing crisis'" highlighted some of the funding challenges facing victim service providers. Across the state, funding for victim services was stretched for a variety of reasons. The necessary closings with the pandemic increased the already enormous workload on our courts and victim services. The oversight of designated funding to ensure the rights afforded to victims in our constitution directly impacted victim services.

Despite these challenges, Marsy's Law has led to significant positive impacts. Just days after it went into effect:

• A Kenosha area victim of sexual assault and attempted homicide exercised her new right to be heard in court at a bond hearing to ask the judge not to allow her attacker to be released.
• The grandmother of a murdered newborn in Green County was able to petition the court to keep the confessed killer of her granddaughter in custody for the safety of her family.
• The mother of a young murder victim was able to exercise her right to be heard in a Dane County courtroom to express concern over a plea deal.
• In a Columbia County case, a murdered woman's family was able to protect the victim's identity from being made public.
• These are just a few of the many examples of Marsy's Law at work.

Each of these cases represents a victory for victims' rights in Wisconsin and demonstrates the commitment of our courts, law enforcement, district attorneys' offices and victim services to "give crime victims additional rights, to require that the rights of crime victims be protected with equal force to the protections afforded the accused while leaving the federal constitutional rights of the accused intact."

Those who work in the victim services field are true heroes and help make the rights of Marsy's Law a reality for many survivors. It is clear Marsy's Law has elevated the rights of Wisconsin crime victims. It is also clear that the expansion of services and access for victims cannot be maintained without proper funding. While it is encouraging that some progress has been made on that front recently, additional resources should be allocated to victim-witness coordinators and victim services in general. This is a longstanding issue that predates Marsy's Law. The overwhelming support shown for the new crime victims' amendment should serve as a catalyst for enhanced investment.

We are grateful to the more than 1.1 million Wisconsin residents who cast votes in favor of Marsy's Law. We are also grateful to the countless victim witness coordinators, the Department of Justice's Office of Crime Victim Services, victim service agencies, prosecutors, law enforcement and everyone else who has contributed to the implementation of the constitutional amendment. We know implementing this measure has required hard work from all of you -- particularly as the state continues to navigate the effects of the pandemic. Dane County, state attorneys face 'staffing crisis' amid pandemic backlog

Wisconsin supports victims' rights. Policymakers should take note. 

Figueroa-Velez is the former executive director of UNIDOS Wisconsin: artmvfdesign@gmail.com. Pellebon is co-executive director and director of client services at the Rape Crisis Center of Dane County: dana.pellebon@thercc.org.

Marsy's Law workload Emily Hamer | Wisconsin State Journal" | Link to Article

2022 General Fund allocation 

2022 GF - Other Organizations: