Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., today announced the creation of the Special Victims Division Advisory Council (“the Advisory Council”) to allow the District Attorney and his staff to gain input from a large variety of external stakeholders on a quarterly basis. The Advisory Council includes more than a dozen representatives of advocacy, survivor services, and legal services providers, and is led by Co-Chairs Maria Lizardo, Executive Director of the Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation (“NMIC”), and Judge Judy Harris Kluger, Chief Executive Officer of Sanctuary for Families.
“We created the Special Victims Division Advisory Council to dig into what’s working, what isn’t working, and solicit feedback from external stakeholders on an ongoing basis,” said District Attorney Bragg. “Strengthening trust with community partners and reducing barriers to services for survivors lead to more reporting and increased participation in the criminal justice process. Through this ongoing collaboration, we hope to share resources, learn from each other, and continue to improve our practice. Thank you to all of the members of the Advisory Council for their time, commitment, and expertise, and particularly our co-chairs Maria Lizardo and Judy Kluger for their leadership.”
Maria Lizardo, Executive Director of NMIC, said: “NMIC commends the efforts of the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office to center and amplify the voices of survivors experiencing intimate partner violence. We take great pride in our role within the advisory council, which not only underscores the importance of community-based services and perspectives but also exemplifies the collaborative spirit required to address these critical issues effectively.”
Sanctuary for Families Chief Executive Officer Hon. Judy Harris Kluger said: “I am honored to be co-chairing this important new council with Maria Lizardo, and I want to thank District Attorney Bragg for his leadership and vision. Access to justice is a critical step in any survivor’s journey. We look forward to hearing from all stakeholders and translating that feedback into concrete action.”
The Advisory Council
The member-driven Advisory Council will meet quarterly to:
- Provide advice and input on topics related to the work of the Special Victims Division and other areas of the D.A.’s Office,
- Identify and recommend strategies to enhance the support and engagement of survivors of crime in cases handled by the Special Victims Division as well as the Office’s other Divisions, and
- Communicate feedback from Manhattan stakeholders, including the members’ organizations, survivors, and other community organizations.
Members serve on a volunteer basis for a two-year term. The Advisory Council’s membership reflects the diversity of Manhattan and includes members who represent organizations that serve a range of communities, including underserved geographic communities. The organizations represented include:
- Safe Horizon
- CONNECT
- The Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty
- NYC Anti-Violence Project
- Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation
- Urban Resource Institute
- Sanctuary for Families
- NYC Alliance Against Sexual Assault
- Brooklyn Law School’s Survivors Justice Project
- Women’s Equal Justice
- Womankind
- New York University
- Manhattan Legal Services
- Joyful Heart Foundation
- Barrier Free Living
- Dominican Women’s Development Center
Manhattan D.A.’s Special Victims Division
D.A. Bragg created the Office’s first Special Victims Division, elevating the role of our Intimate Partner & Sexual Violence Bureau, and the Child Abuse, Human Trafficking, and Elder Abuse Units. The Division includes specially trained Assistant D.A.s, as well as investigators, analysts, and social workers who work exclusively on these extremely sensitive cases. In line with its mission to center survivors, the Special Victims Division is helmed by leaders with expertise in providing services to survivors and implementing trauma-informed policies.
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