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NH Bulletin June 22, 2022 Attorneys representing nearly 600 former Youth Development Center residents in abuse claims against the state have asked a judge to move forward with litigation on 450 of those cases. They say their clients are proceeding with their lawsuits because they continue to distrust the settlement option offered by the state.
Amanda Grady Sexton, director of public affairs for the coalition, said some victims are unhappy about the way awards are calculated. A victim who receives $20,000 for a single instance of sexual abuse would not necessarily receive $40,000 for two instances of sexual abuse or $60,000 for three, according to the draft rubric. Instead, the victim would receive something between $20,000 and $60,000 as determined by a complicated “frequency multiplier” established in the draft guidelines. “For sexual abuse, add the number of instances of the most severe level of abuse suffered plus one-half the number of instances of the two next lower levels of abuse suffered,” it reads. “Instances of abuse three of four levels lower, if any, shall not be counted.” The Berlin Sun June 6, 2022 U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) has been instrumental in getting the Senate to allocate funding for survivors of domestic and sexual abuse and Thursday she visited Coos County Family Health Service’s Response to Domestic and Sexual Violence Crisis Center in Berlin.
For an hour, the senator spoke with local advocates about the increased funding and asked what was working and what is needed. Joi Smith, program director for the N.H. Coalition Against Domestic & Sexual Violence, said with the cost of living increasing, advocates are having trouble helping survivors find a way to become self-sustaining. She said there is a shortage of housing and rental properties, forcing people to stay in shelters for extended periods of time because there is no real estate for them to move into that is within their budget. New Hampshire Bulletin June 1, 2022 The hundreds of people alleging they were sexually and physically abused while held at the former Youth Development Center will be able to seek compensation from the state beginning Jan. 1.
Victim advocates reiterated their opposition to the bill last week, criticizing what they see as unacceptably low settlement caps. They said the legislation also fails to give victims sufficient time to file and are concerned that it excludes emotional and non-contact sexual abuse, such as being the subject of child abuse images. Critics include the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. “The state of New Hampshire had an opportunity to establish an unprecedented model settlement process that could have exemplified what it means to hold institutions accountable and demonstrate unwavering support for victims,” said coalition Executive Director Lyn Schollett in a statement. “However, what passed the House and Senate in the form of HB 1677 falls extremely short of living up to what has been promoted as a just system for victims.” YDC settlement bill becomes law, hailed as ‘historic’ by AG, ‘deceptive’ by victim advocates6/1/2022
Manchester Ink Link May 29, 2022 Gov. Chris Sununu on Friday signed into law House Bill 1677, which creates a claims process for victims of abuse in the state-operated Youth Development Center, formerly known as the John H. Sununu Youth Services Center, located on River Road in Manchester,
Other groups that have been critical of the limited scope of HB1677 include NH Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence and CHILD USA, a national children’s advocacy group. Union Leader May 29, 2022 “I should never have put faith in the State to create a fair settlement process,” read the statement from survivor Dwayne Underwood, included in a letter sent to Sununu last Tuesday, May 24, by Lyn Schollett, executive director of the coalition.
The coalition, attorneys representing survivors, and other abuse-survivor advocacy groups had asked the state legislature to raise the caps on claims above the $1.5 million maximum set in the new law, to expand the definitions of abuse, and to lengthen the amount of time for survivors to file claims. NH Journal May 11, 2022 Alyssa Dandrea, with the New Hampshire Coalition Against Sexual and Domestic Violence, said women with infants who flee an abusive home for a shelter don’t have the formula they need.
“We’ve heard from our crisis centers throughout the state that survivors are having an increasingly difficult time finding baby formula for their children,” Dandrea said. “Although not all of our programs have infants in shelters, advocates shared that new store policies now limit how much formula one person can buy and that has added to this challenge. Survivors of domestic violence already face so many economic barriers, and the lack of food and other essential products present additional challenges for survivors seeking to reestablish their lives.” Attorney general defends YDC settlement fund, says state committed to ‘doing the right thing’5/10/2022
NH Bulletin May 10, 2022 Amanda Grady Sexton, public affairs director for the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, isn’t convinced by Formella’s assurances toward victims unable to use the settlement fund.
“I think what the statement shows to me is that the (Department of Justice) has heard clearly from the plaintiffs’ attorneys that this bill clearly did not meet the needs and expectations of the victims,” she said. “Clearly there wouldn’t have been a need for this bill had the settlement process with the lawyers and plaintiffs moved forward. What is the likelihood that is going to happen now?” Concord Monitor May 7, 2022 “We know that it can take a lot for a child victim to come forward and to really recognize and understand their trauma,” said Pamela Keilig, public policy specialist at the NH Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. “That’s why it’s really important that they are aware that there are services available to them, even if it’s something that happened 50 years ago or 20 years ago, because trauma can have such lifelong impacts on victims.”
From 2020 to 2021, the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence served 1,155 child and adolescent victims of sexual assault. Joi Smith, program director at the NH Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, said today’s interviews are transparent and trauma-informed. “They show the kids where the camera is and they go with the child’s pace, they build rapport with the child, they don’t pressure children at all to try to get the child to disclose anything that they don’t feel comfortable doing so,” Smith said. New Hampshire Bulletin May 6, 2022 The Senate passed legislation Thursday allotting $100 million to settle claims with the hundreds of people who’ve said they were sexually or physically abused as children while held at the state’s former Youth Development Center.
Advocacy groups issued statements immediately after the vote. “To be clear: The bill that passed today is not victim-centered and does not seek to make victims whole,” said Lyn Schollett, executive director of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence. “HB 1677 fails hundreds of children who were abused by employees of the state of New Hampshire.” New Hampshire State Senate passes bill to create system to settle youth detention center abuse5/6/2022
WMUR May 6, 2022 "The appropriate tool would have opened its doors to every victim that's experienced abuse, every victim who was tortured, and allow them to make their case in a very individualized way," said Lyn Schollett, executive director of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.
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The 12 member programs of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence provide services regardless of gender,age, health status (including HIV-positive), physical, mental or emotional ability, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, socio-economic status, race, national origin, immigration status or religious or political affiliation.
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New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
PO Box 353, Concord, NH 03302-0353
(603) 224-8893
New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
PO Box 353, Concord, NH 03302-0353
(603) 224-8893
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