Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced funding for programs and services that assist the victims of crimes. Western New York will receive a portion of the more than $36 million that will fund a total of 230 programs across the state through a series of grants. The monies will aid victims of all types of crime, but a focus will be on victims of child abuse, sexual assault and domestic violence.
Also, programs that direct assistance to Native American, black and Hispanic men between the ages of 16 to 24 will be established by the Office of Victim Services and funded through these grants.
The Governor has also acted to close a loophole in a Privacy Law. A case in Clarkstown, New York exposed the loophole when a sex tape was broadcast on the Internet. A subject in the tape intended to press charges, but that action was thwarted because her intimate parts were not shown in the video.
An amendment to the law now closes that loophole and brings a punishment of up to one year in jail and a $1000 fine for what is being termed "revenge porn."
The new law will take effect on November first.
