Join NYSCADV for a series of events aimed at elevating the needs of survivors who have been criminalized as they navigate New York’s criminal justice system. Each event will probe the unique role DV advocates have in providing supports to survivors throughout their journey.

Part 1: A Conversation with IPV Survivors Who Have Been Criminalized

Join Rev. Sharon White-Harrigan, LMSW, Patrice Smith and Monica Szlekovics in a discussion about the scope and scale of IPV survivor criminalization, the needs of survivors who have been criminalized, and the need to remove barriers to assist IPV survivors as they navigate the various stages of the criminal justice system.

Panelists include:

Sharon White-Harrigan is the Executive Director of the Women’s Community Justice Association (WCJA), a gender-specific, trauma-informed, advocacy-for-justice agency that uplifts and amplifies the voices of women who are experts through their life experiences and efforts. She has worked in a range of direct service fields including re-entry, domestic violence, homelessness, mental health and substance abuse, and was a leader in the successful 10-year campaign to pass NY’s Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act in 2019. In her work, Sharon draws upon her expertise as a licensed social worker, survivor of violence, and survivor of 11 years of incarceration.
Patrice Smith was the first person to be released from prison under the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act. She had been incarcerated since she was 16 years old and was released in September 2020, after serving nearly 22 years in prison. While in prison, Patrice earned her Associate of Arts in Social Sciences and her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Marymount Manhattan College. Patrice draws on her experience as a survivor of abuse, the traumatization of prison as someone who was given a potential life sentence as a teenager and navigating the reentry process as a survivor in her advocacy efforts. Patrice is also invested in the education of returning women who were criminalized survivors; and them having access to the resources they need to negotiate a career in the Tech industry.
Monica Szlekovics is a Program Assistant at Marymount Manhattan's Bedford Hills College Program and is a member of the Survivors Justice Project. In January of 2020, after serving 23 years of a life sentence, Monica was granted clemency by former Governor Andrew Cuomo, an extraordinary executive remedy that has rarely been applied in murder cases in the past 30 years. In granting clemency, the former Governor recognized that Monica's conviction, which stemmed from a 1996 capital murder case, was the direct result of extreme gender-based violence. Monica resides in Rochester where she continues to support prison education programs and advocate for victims of gender-based violence in the criminal legal system.
Please Note: This is a re-broadcast of an event originally held in December 2021. A Live Q&A will not be held for this training.