An evening to mark five years of the DVSJA & uplift the leadership of survivors
NEW DATE: November 2, 2024
6:30p.m. | SVA Theatre, 333 West 23rd Street, New York, NY
On Saturday, November 2, Women & Justice Project & Survivors Justice Project are thrilled to host a documentary film screening to mark the fifth anniversary of New York’s Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act (DVSJA).
Domestic violence is a primary driver of women’s incarceration in the U.S. Nowhere is this link more stark than in situations involving survivors charged with crimes related to the abuse they suffered. Instead of offering compassion and support, the criminal legal system actively punishes survivors, routinely moving forward with arrest, prosecution, and imprisonment.
New York’s DVSJA is a tool to challenge this punishment. Passed in 2019 after a 10-year Coalition for Women Prisoners campaign led by currently and formerly incarcerated women, the DVSJA creates reduced sentencing for survivors convicted of crimes related to abuse.
To date, the DVSJA has been used to reduce initial sentences, and has resulted in resentencing for 58 survivors, saving over 150 years of incarceration, including 13 potential life sentences.
On Saturday, November 2, we’ll premiere our documentary about this groundbreaking law. Created in partnership with Kashif, the documentary features survivors freed under the Act, survivors denied resentencing, campaign leaders, legislators, judges, and others working to implement the law.
Join us to uplift the leadership of survivors directly impacted by incarceration and to learn more about the critical work happening to expand the DVSJA’s impact in New York State and beyond.
