criminal justice day

Press release:

Each year in April, the Office for Victims of Crime helps lead communities throughout the country in their annual observances of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW), which will be observed this year April 8-14. The 2018 theme is “Expand the Circle: Reach All Victims” and it emphasizes the importance of inclusion in victim services.

Monday of that week, April 9, is designated Criminal Justice Day 2018: "Surviving and Thriving After Trauma." It will be held locally at Genesee Community College from 8:15 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Conable Technology Building, Room T102, 1 College Road, Batavia. The day is sponsored in part by GCASA and Our Lady of Batavia Knights of Columbus.

Cost to attend is $20 per person / $10 per student or senior (62+) and lunch is included.

For registration, contact Genesee Justice at 344-2550, ext. 3929, or e-mail: Holly.McAllister@co.genesee.ny.us

Keynote Speakers:

Sheriff Timothy Whitcomb of Cattaraugus County. Sheriff Whitcomb is a dynamic and powerful speaker who lectures on topics such as: post-traumatic stress disorder, suicide, and protecting and treating those exposed to trauma. 

Eva Abrams, a survivor of the Holocaust, along with her daughter, Bonnie Abrams, who is Director of the Center of Holocaust Awareness and Information in Rochester. Eva was born in Oradea, Romania, in 1926 and was 17 when the Nazis occupied her hometown and sent her family to a ghetto. Her family was then deported to Auschwitz a month later.

Criminal Justice Day 2018 Partners are:

• Batavia City Police
• Justice for Children Advocacy Center
• Genesee Community College
• Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse (GCASA)
• Genesee County District Attorney’s Office
• Genesee County Mental Health
• Genesee County Office for the Aging
• Genesee County Sheriff’s Office
• Genesee County Youth Bureau
• Genesee Justice
• Mental Health Association of Genesee and Orleans Counties
• RESTORE Sexual Assault Services
• YWCA of Genesee County

Information from a press release:

The topic for Criminal Justice Day 2017, during National Crime Victims' Rights Week, is "Education, Prevention & Resources for Older Adults." A forum on this subject will take place on Monday, April 3, at the Stuart Steiner Theatre at Genesee Community College in Batavia. It runs from 8:15 a.m. to 1 p.m. and the campus is located at 1 College Road, Batavia.

Cost to attend is $10 per person, or $5 for students. Seniors 60 and older get in free.

According to the event organizers, abuse of older adults occurs in many different ways: physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, as well as financial exploitation in the form of forgery, scams and credit card or property theft.

The forum will explore the various facets of elder abuse, the signs of abuse, and provide strategies and resources in preventing abuse, along with where to go for help and how to proceed after an individual has been victimized.

Perpectives will be shared by representatives from the the Genesee County Sheriff's Office, Genesee County District Attorney's Office, Secret Service, Lifespan, Genesee County Office for the Aging, Ombudsman Program, Genesee Justice, Department of Social Services as well as a local senior citizen organization president.

National Crime Victims' Rights Week provides a time of national remembrance for crime victims and survivors in order to raise awareness about the rights and needs of crime victims; the challenges that victims face in seeking help and hope in the aftermath of crime; and the positive impact that we can all have in providing services and support to victims and survivors of crime.

The theme of "Strength. Resilience. Justice." reflects this vision of the future, one in which all victims are strengthened by the response they receive, organizations are resilient to challenges, and communities are able to seek collective justice and healing.

In addition to the aforementioned participants and GCC, the event is also presented by these partners: Batavia City Police, Genesee/Orleans Council on Alcoholism and Substance Abuse (GCASA), Genesee County Youth Bureau, Mental Health Association of Genesee and Orleans County, and YWCA of Genesee County.

To RSVP, make checks payable to GCASA, and mail by Monday, March 27 to: GCASA, 430 E. Main St., Batavia NY 14020.

Include your name, address, city, state, Zip code, phone, and email address.

For questions regarding registration, call 343-1124 or email Diane Klos at  dklos@gcasa.org      (FAX is 585-343-9622)