Pa. expands notice for victims of sexual predators

    Victims of some of Pennsylvania’s most horrific sexual crimes are getting better information about offenders’ status under a new partnership between the state police and the Office of Victim Advocate.

    State officials on Tuesday described how the state agency has taken over the process of updating victims of sexually violent predators whenever the convict’s status changes.

    That can mean a change of job or address, or their release from behind bars.

    The program is being funded this year with $143,000 in federal money that’s administered by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency.

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    The Office of Victim Advocate already provides more than 20,000 notifications annually for other types of crimes. Officials say they think adding victims of sexually violent predators may increase that workload by more than 5,000 notifications.

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