Crime Victims Services Bracing for Big Cuts
Anna Chowdhury and the six employees at the Sexual Assault Resource Center in Bryan provide services to about 300 crime victims in a seven-county area each year.
When a woman is raped, advocates from the center go with her as she gets an invasive forensic exam, helping and comforting the victim in what is already a terrifying situation. Staffers man a 24-hour hotline, taking calls about sexual violence. They offer counseling, provide prevention education and even help victims find jobs.
But providing those services could get harder next year. Like many similar crime victims organizations statewide, the center is bracing ...
Comments (8)
Luisa Inez Newton via Texas Tribune on Facebook
think of all the money Texas would save if we got rid of the death penalty! no more innocents executed by Perry, no more decades of appeals w/lawyers reaping fees....
Vibeke Mendonca Lee via Texas Tribune on Facebook
So not only does that again show how incompetent our comptrollerand AG are, but even worse, is highlights the continued war on women that is raging in Texas. Rape trauma, domestic violence - crimes against mostly women are not seen as priorities by the AG's office.
Proud Texan
Looks like the Comptroller's office put the AG's office in the unfortunate and undeserved position of being the bearer of bad news when they vetoed the AG's ACCURATE revenue estimate. Makes you wonder what other agency budgets are inflated based on the Comptroller's numbers? Is this the tip of the iceberg? Greg Abbott has long been a supporter of rape crisis centers. This isn't a reflection on him or his agency.
itstoolate
There is a crime victims fund that is collected from every traffic related citation, are they saying that there are less traffic citations written in Texas? Has this money gone the way of the extra cost that was tagged on to all alcohol offenses to help fund hospital trama centers for those involved in alcohol related accidents? Very little of that money collected, if any, made its way to the hospitals.
Anya Khan
The use of volunteer victim advocates should be encouraged, along with those found guilty and those who plead guilty paying restitution in the form of a large payment to the local victim services office.
WUSRPH
If I were a believer in conspiracies, I might think that the underfunding was deliberate...The fewer people a rape crisis center can help, the fewer it can advise how to get a abortion, if the victim wants one...After all, "no exceptions" is now the GOP's position.
Navy One
If you prosecuted false claims of abuse less folks would be using services. The V.A.W.A. has been used by all sorts of folks as a tool. There are REAL victims of DV who should be getting these services not folks who need a one up in a relationship or Family Court. That's where we should start.
Navy One
Vibeke Mendonca Lee, "highlights the continued war on women that is raging in Texas" are you kidding? I why I get the feeling that anything less than signing over one's house, pay check and car to you would be a war on YOU (women)? Try that in any other country and see how far you get. In fact, that sort of talk will make people just throw up their hands where REAL victims are concerned.