Lupinacci Urges Assembly To Join Senate In Support of Brittany's Law

Assemblyman Chad Lupinacci (R,C,WF,I-Huntington Station) is encouraging his Assembly Majority Colleagues to bring Assembly Bill 8916, also known as Brittany’s Law, to the floor for a vote following today’s passage of the legislation in the Senate. “Brittany’s Law - Domestic Violence Protection Act,” is named after Brittany Buchel and her mother Helen, who were murdered in 2009 by John Edward Brown. Brown, was released from prison after serving only 2 1/2 years of a 3-year sentence for violently assaulting his infant daughter in 2003.

“Creating a registry of violent felony offenders would provide the public with an extra layer of protection from those who may do them harm,” said Lupinacci. “In the same way that many parents regularly check sex offender registries, the violent felony offender registry could be used to protect our children from potential threats in the community. More importantly, research has consistently shown that the recidivism rate for violent offenders remains high and this registry would be an important step to protect the public. I strongly urge my colleagues in the Assembly Majority to follow the Senate’s lead and pass Brittany’s Law.”

Under the bill, violent felony offenders would be required to register with the Division of Criminal Justice Services upon discharge, parole or release from any state or local facility, hospital or institution. Certain information regarding the convict would then be disseminated to the general public. The bill reflects long-standing research which has demonstrated that violent felons are likely to commit additional crimes upon release from prison. Similar registries already exist in many other states.