Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs

Agency Web Site: https://www.justicecenter.ny.gov/ 

Mission

The Justice Center is committed to supporting and protecting the health, safety, and dignity of all people with special needs and disabilities through advocacy of their civil rights, prevention of mistreatment, and investigation of all allegations of abuse and neglect so appropriate actions are taken.

Organization and Staffing

The Justice Center has an authorized staffing level of 423 FTEs, with responsibility for two major program areas: the call center and investigations. The agency also has a legal team and staff that work in a variety of program areas including advocacy, training, and general administration. Additionally, the Justice Center has prosecutorial jurisdiction to bring criminal charges in courts across the state.

Budget Highlights

The FY 2020 Executive Budget recommends $57 million in new appropriations. This represents an increase of $1.2 million from FY 2019 and is based on the level of anticipated agency operating costs.

To protect the health and safety of vulnerable individuals in the State’s care, the Justice Center has primary responsibility for receiving, investigating and/or reviewing abuse and neglect allegations at certain facilities and programs that are operated, certified, or licensed by the following six agencies: Office of Mental Health (OMH), Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), Department of Health (DOH), Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), and the State Education Department (SED). The Justice Center is responsible for ensuring the safety and well-being of the approximately one million adults and children who, due to physical or intellectual disabilities, or the need for services or placement, are receiving care from one of the over 3,000 facilities or service providers overseen by the six State agencies.

Program Highlights

The Justice Center program highlights include the following:

Call Center

When a caller makes a report, the call center representative enters all details of the incident into an automated case management system. Serious abuse and neglect reports are referred for investigation by the Justice Center, with lesser offenses delegated to the appropriate State Oversight Agency (SOA) listed above for investigation.

Investigations

The Justice Center investigates allegations of abuse and neglect against vulnerable populations served by programs operated, licensed or certified by the six SOAs. Additionally, the agency's responsibilities include maintaining a Staff Exclusion List of people who are prohibited from working with these populations.

Prosecutions

In criminal cases, the Justice Center collaborates with State Police, local law enforcement agencies and District Attorneys to pursue prosecution to the extent allowed by the law. The Justice Center also has a Special Prosecutor/Inspector General (SPIG) who can bring criminal charges in courts across the state. The SPIG is not intended to replace local law enforcement, but provides additional resources to existing law enforcement agencies and District Attorneys in investigating and prosecuting cases of abuse and neglect involving people with special needs.

Raise the Age (RTA)

The Justice Center's operations will increase as a result of the RTA initiative and the placement of juveniles ages 16-17 in OCFS operated programs. Additional funding will be made available through a centralized RTA appropriation.

Note: Most recent estimates as of 1/15/2019