1. a. Every State, county, and municipal police department and hospital or other place of emergency medical care shall have available and shall post in a public place information booklets, pamphlets or other pertinent written information, to be supplied by the Victims of Crime Compensation Agency, relating to the availability of crime victims’ compensation including all necessary application blanks required to be filed with the agency.

b. Included in the information supplied by the Victims of Crime Compensation Agency shall be information for victims of sexual offenses. This information shall contain the location of rape crisis centers in all geographical areas throughout the State and shall instruct victims of sexual offenses that if a rape crisis center is not available in a victim’s immediate geographical area, the victim may contact the appropriate county victim-witness coordinator appointed by the Chief of the Office of Victim-Witness Advocacy established pursuant to P.L.1985, c.404 (C. 52:4B-39 et seq.). The information shall also provide that victims will not be charged any fee for services that are directly associated with a forensic sexual assault examination, including routine medical screening, medications for prophylaxis of sexually transmitted infections, pregnancy tests, emergency contraception, supplies, equipment and use of space.

Unless the victim requires immediate medical attention, this information shall be personally conveyed to the victim of a sexual offense by a representative of the hospital or place of emergency care before a medical examination of the victim is conducted, or by a representative of the police department before the victim’s statement is taken, to afford the victim the opportunity to arrange to have assistance from the rape crisis center or county victim-witness coordinator during these procedures. Hospitals shall be held harmless from suits emanating from a hospital’s carrying out the obligation to convey information to victims of sexual offenses.

“Rape crisis center” means an office, institution or center offering assistance to victims of sexual offenses through crisis intervention, medical and legal information and follow-up counseling.

c. Every police department shall, upon the filing of a report of a violent crime, make available to any victim information concerning crime victims’ compensation.

L.1981, c.256, s.1; amended 1987, c.327, s.1; 2007, c.95, s.24; 2011, c.106, s.1.