5. a. A family justice center is authorized to share information, as well as recommendations, concerning the center’s operations and utilization by victims and their family members, which does not include any personal identifiers of those victims and family members, with Alliance for Hope International, the national, nonprofit organization that assists with the development and operation of new and existing family justice centers and serves as a national membership organization for all centers, when requested by that organization. The information which may be shared includes, but is not limited to:

(1) the number of victims who received assistance, the number of children and other family members of victims who received assistance, and the number of victims, children, and other family members who received assistance multiple times;

(2) the reasons that victims and their family members requested assistance;

(3) the filing, conviction, and dismissal rates for criminal, and disorderly persons and petty disorderly persons cases handled at the center;

(4) subjective and objective measurements of the impacts of centrally located multi-agency services related to the safety, empowerment, and mental and emotional well-being of victims and their family members, and comparison data from victims and family members, if available, on their access to services outside the family justice center model; and

(5) barriers, if any, to receiving available services at a family justice center, including actual or perceived barriers based on immigration status, criminal history, substance use disorder or mental health issues, or privacy concerns, and potential means to mitigate any identified barriers to accessing services and for improving the utilization rate of services.

b. Alliance for HOPE International may file a report, utilizing any information collected pursuant to subsection a. of this section, with the Governor, the Division on Women in the Department of Children and Families, and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C. 52:14-19.1), the Legislature, annually or upon request by the Attorney General. The report may include recommendations for expanding or improving the Statewide operation of family justice centers, as well as suggested executive or legislative action, if necessary, to accomplish any recommendations.

L.2019, c.394, s.5; amended 2023, c.177, s.137.