Resources and Publications
Our resources provide practical information and insightful research for working with the DVSJA and beyond. We've developed knowledge, data, tools, videos, and resources to make the criminal legal system more responsive to survivors of domestic violence.
Publications
Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act
Resource Guide
This guide was written for people applying for either sentencing or resentencing under the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act (DVSJA) and offers additional information and support.
This guide aims to:
demystify the law;
support survivors in identifying their needs;
help survivors create and take ownership of their personal narrative; and
extend links to resources to strengthen the ability to use the DVSJA.
Attorneys, judges, prosecutors, service providers/advocates, jail/prison staff and others can also use this guide to learn more about the DVSJA and working with survivors of domestic violence who have been arrested, prosecuted or sentenced.
Sentencing Reform for Criminalized Survivors: Learning from New York’s Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act
By Liz Komar, Alexandra Bailey, Clarissa Gonzalez, Elizabeth Isaacs, Kate Mogulescu, and Monica Szlekovics
Published April 19, 2023
This report, co-authored by the Survivors Justice Project and The Sentencing Project, highlights lessons learned from passage of New York’s 2019 Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act and offers model legislation for other states to follow. New York’s law created opportunities for survivors to receive a shorter sentence at their original sentencing hearing and, for those already incarcerated, provided an opportunity for resentencing. As of the report’s publication, 35 women, 4 men and 1 non-binary person, have received retroactive sentencing relief under the law; 80% are people of color.
A growing number of states are considering similar bills. Efforts are underway in Louisiana, Minnesota, Oklahoma and Oregon, as well as other states. The report highlights the experiences of individuals who have applied for DVSJA relief in New York, as well as individuals who would benefit from similar laws being enacted in their respective states. For example, April Wilkens is currently serving a life sentence in Oklahoma for killing her abusive former partner. On the night that would lead to her incarceration, Wilkens’s former partner beat and sexually assaulted her for hours until she was able to take his gun and fire multiple times, killing him. If passed, the Oklahoma Domestic Violence Survivorship Justice Act would provide her with an opportunity to receive a lower sentence.
