Address confidentiality program

Last updated

In the United States an address confidentiality program allows victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking or other types of crime to receive mail at a confidential address, while keeping their actual address undisclosed. [1] In some states or jurisdictions, reproductive healthcare workers and employees of agencies that assist victims of domestic violence or stalking are also eligible. [2] [3]

Contents

Victims usually apply through a state's Secretary of State office. Once a victim is admitted to the program, they will receive a PO box or other address that will legally substitute their residential address on public records, such as voting registration.

According to the National Network to End Domestic Violence,

Address Confidentiality Programs (ACP) and Confidential Voter Listings are programs administered by the state enabling victims of domestic violence (and sometime victims of sexual assault and/or stalking) to participate in the voting process without fear of being found by their abusers. ACPs generally provide a substitute address for all public records. Confidential Voter Listings only provide confidentiality on election-related public records.

States with Confidential Address Programs

State

(link to state site)

Voter

Registration

Drivers

License

School

Registration

Other

Services [note 1]

Phone/Contact
Arizona yesyesyesyes602-542-1653 [4]
Arkansasnoyesnono501-682-7052 [5]
California yes - by mailyesyesyes877-322-5227 [6]
Colorado yesyesyesyes303-866-2208 [7]
Connecticut yesyesyesyesmultiple numbers

depending on location [8]

Delawareyesyesno infono info(800) 870-1790 [9]
Floridayes - absenteeyesno infono info(800) 226-6667 [5]
Idaho yesyesyesyes(208) 332-2836 [10]
Illinois yes - absenteeyesyesno info(844) 916-0295 [11]
Indiana yes - absenteeyesyesyes(800) 321-1907 [12]
Iowa yes - absenteeyesyesyes(515) 725-7233 [13]
Kansas yesyesyesyes(785) 296-3806 [5]
Kentucky yes - absenteenonono(502) 564-3490 [5]
Louisiana yes - absenteeyesyesyes800.825.3805 [14]
Maine yes - absenteeno infoyesyes(207) 626-8400
Maryland yesyesyesno info410-260-3875 [15]
Massachusetts yesyesyesno info1-866-SAFE-ADD [16]
Michigan yesyesyesyes313-456-0190 [17]
Minnesota yes - by mailseparate applicationyesyes(866) 723-3035 [5]
Mississippi yesyesyesno info(800) 829-6766 [5]
Missouri yesyesyesyes(866) 509-1409 [18]
Montana yesno infono infono info1-800-498-6455 [19]
Nebraska yes - early votingyesyesno info(866) 227-6327 [20]
Nevada yes - absenteeyesyesyes888-432-6189 [21]
New Hampshire yes - absenteeyesyesyes(603) 271-1240 [22]
New Jersey yes [23] no infono infono info1 (877) 218-9133 [24]
New Mexico yes - absenteeno infono infono info1-800-477-3632 [25]
New York yesyesyesyes(855) 350-4595 [26]
North Carolina yesyesyesyes(919) 716-6785 [27]
Ohio yesyesyesyes(614) 995-2255 [28]
Oklahoma yes - absenteeyesyesyes(866) 227-7784 [29]
Oregon yesyesyesyes503-373-1323 [30]
Pennsylvania yesyesyesyes1.800.563.6399 [31]
Rhode Island yesnonono1-877-218-9133 [32]
Texas yes - by mailyesyesyes1-888-832-2322 [33]
Vermont yes - absenteeyesyesyes802-828-0586 [34]
Virginia yes - limited confidentiality [35] yesyesyes804-786-2071 [36]
Washington yesyesyesyes(360) 753-2972 [37]
Washington, D.C. yesyesyesyes(844) 443-5732 [38]
West Virginia yesyesyesyes1-866-767-8683 [39]
Wisconsin yes - separate application [40] yesyesyes(608) 266-6613 [41]

Bank accounts and address confidentiality

The rules implementing the Bank Secrecy Act require a financial institution to implement a Customer Identification Program that includes procedures that enable it to form a reasonable belief that it knows the true identity of its customers. The rules also require that a financial institution obtain a residential or business street address from each customer. Unfortunately, the substitute address under an Address Confidentiality Program does not meet the standards.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network issued a letter ruling to help the situation. The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network regulations also allow: "If the individual customer does not have a residential or business street address, then the rules permit the individual customer to provide a "residential or business street address of next of kin or of another contact individual."

In FIN-2009-R003, the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network found: "A customer who participates in a state-created ACP shall be treated as not having a residential or business street address and a secretary of state, or other state entity serving as a designated agent of the customer consistent with the terms of the ACP, will act as another contact individual for the purpose of complying with FinCEN's rules. Therefore, a financial institution should collect the street address of the ACP sponsoring agency for purposes of meeting its CIP address requirement."

Coronavirus disease 2019

On September 23, 2020, the Governor of California, Gavin Newsom signed executive order N-80-20 allowing local health officers and public health officials access to the state's Safe at Home program, due to their being "subject to threats and other harassment, including threats and harassment targeted at their places of residence, which threatens to chill the performance of their critical duties." [42]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ marriage licenses, name changes, and child support are services offered by some states. Many states also let participants receive legal service documents.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Secretary of State of California</span> Chief elections officer of California, United States

The secretary of state of California is the chief clerk of the U.S. state of California, overseeing a department of 500 people. The secretary of state is elected for four year terms, like the state's other constitutional officers; the officeholder is restricted by term limits to two terms. The current secretary of state is Shirley Weber, who assumed the role in 2021 after Alex Padilla's appointment to the US Senate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Violence Against Women Act</span> United States crime legislation

The Violence Against Women Act of 1994 (VAWA) is a United States federal law signed by President Bill Clinton on September 13, 1994. The Act provided $1.6 billion toward investigation and prosecution of violent crimes against women, imposed automatic and mandatory restitution on those convicted, and allowed civil redress when prosecutors chose to not prosecute cases. The Act also established the Office on Violence Against Women within the U.S. Department of Justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Office on Violence Against Women</span> US agency with mission to respond to and reduce violence against women

The United States Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) was created following the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994. The Act was renewed in 2005, 2013 and again in 2022. The Violence Against Women Act legislation requires the Office on Violence Against Women to work to respond to and reduce violence against women in many different areas, including on college campuses and in people's homes. VAWA requires Office on Violence Against Women to administer justice and strengthen services for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.

Native American women encounter a disproportionate level of sexual violence from verbal abuse to physical harm, including but not limited to domestic and sexual assaults. Such violations not only result in lasting detrimental effects on the individuals subjected to them but also reverberate throughout their entire community, exacerbating social challenges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Pate</span> 28th and 32nd Secretary of State of Iowa

Paul Danny Pate Jr. is an American businessman and politician serving as the 32nd and current Secretary of State of Iowa since 2015, previously holding the office from 1995 to 1999. Pate is the Past President of the National Association of Secretaries of State. A member of the Republican Party, he also served in the Iowa Senate from 1989 to 1995 and as Mayor of Cedar Rapids from 2002 to 2006. He was an unsuccessful candidate for his party's nomination for Governor of Iowa in 1998.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon Husted</span> American politician; Lieutenant Governor of Ohio (2019–present)

Jon Allen Husted is an American politician serving as the 66th lieutenant governor of Ohio, since 2019. He was previously the 53rd Ohio Secretary of State. A member of the Republican Party, he previously represented the 6th District of the Ohio Senate from 2009 to 2011 and was a member of the Ohio House of Representatives from 2001 to 2009. From 2005 to 2009, Husted served as Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives and remains the 7th youngest person to ever become Ohio House Speaker. Husted was elected Ohio Secretary of State in 2010 and re-elected in 2014. He was a candidate in the Republican Party primary for Governor of Ohio in the 2018 election but later announced that he would instead run for lieutenant governor of Ohio as Attorney General Mike DeWine's running mate.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Network to End Domestic Violence</span> Non-profit organization in the USA

The National Network to End Domestic Violence(NNEDV) is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization founded in 1990, based in the District of Columbia. It is a network of state and territorial domestic violence coalitions, representing over 2,000 member organizations nationwide. The National Network to End Domestic Violence works to address the many aspects of domestic violence.

Domestic violence in Brazil involves any type of violence or abuse by intimate partners or family members against one another. The majority of domestic violence cases in Brazil are performed by the man against their female partners. In 2015, the government released a study that showed that every seven minutes a woman was a victim of domestic violence in Brazil, over 70% of the Brazilian female population will suffer some kind of violence throughout their lifetime and 1 in every 4 women reports being a victim of psychological or physical violence. In 2017, Brazil had an estimate of 606 cases of violence and 164 cases of rape per day, over 60 thousand cases throughout the year. It is also estimated that only 10% of the cases are registered to the police. Although Brazil acknowledged that domestic violence was a problem in the 1940s, the Government has only acted upon it from 1980s onwards, with the creation of the Women Police Stations and later in 2006, with the publication of the Domestic Violence law.

Cyberstalking is the use of the Internet or other electronic means to stalk or harass an individual, group, or organization. It may include false accusations, defamation, slander and libel. It may also include monitoring, identity theft, threats, vandalism, solicitation for sex, doxing, or blackmail.

An anonymous elector is generally a registered voter whose safety would be at risk if their details were available on a public electoral register.

Victims' rights are legal rights afforded to victims of crime. These may include the right to restitution, the right to a victims' advocate, the right not to be excluded from criminal justice proceedings, and the right to speak at criminal justice proceedings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Domestic violence in the United States</span>

Domestic violence in United States is a form of violence that occurs within a domestic relationship. Although domestic violence often occurs between partners in the context of an intimate relationship, it may also describe other household violence, such as violence against a child, by a child against a parent or violence between siblings in the same household. It is recognized as an important social problem by governmental and non-governmental agencies, and various Violence Against Women Acts have been passed by the US Congress in an attempt to stem this tide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safe Horizon</span> Nonprofit organization in the United States

Safe Horizon, formerly the Victim Services Agency, is the largest victim services nonprofit organization in the United States, providing social services for victims of abuse and violent crime. Operating at 57 locations throughout the five boroughs of New York City. Safe Horizon provides social services to over 250,000 victims of violent crime and abuse and their families per year. It has over 800 employees, and has programs for victims of domestic violence, child abuse, sexual assault, and human trafficking, as well as homeless youth and the families of homicide victims. Safe Horizon's website has been accessible for the Spanish-speaking population since 2012. Safe Horizon has an annual budget of over $63 million.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Center for Victims of Crime</span>

The National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC) is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information, resources, and advocacy for victims of all types of crime, as well as the people who serve them. The National Center for Victims of Crime hosts the annual National Training Institute, designed to share current research and effective policies with service providers, in order to advance the quality of services available to victims of crime.

Domestic violence and abuse in the United Kingdom are a range of abusive behaviours that occur within relationships. Domestic violence or abuse can be physical, psychological, sexual, financial or emotional. In UK laws and legislation, the term "domestic abuse" is commonly used to encompass various forms of domestic violence. Some specific forms of domestic violence and abuse are criminal offences. Victims or those at risk of domestic abuse can also be provided with remedies and protection via civil law.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Arnold Schwarzenegger and LGBT rights</span> Overview of the relationship between Arnold Schwarzenegger and LGBT rights

Arnold Schwarzenegger was an early opponent of same-sex marriage in the United States, including during his Governorship of California. As an elected official he opposed legal recognition of same-sex marriage but otherwise he supported LGBT rights legislation, including civil unions.

Operation Fox Hunt is a Chinese government covert global operation whose purported aim is anti-corruption under Chinese Communist Party general secretary Xi Jinping's administration. As of 2017, it has led to the arrest of over 40 of its 100 most wanted globally. It has been accused of targeting Chinese dissidents living abroad to stop their activism under the guise of returning corrupt Chinese nationals to China to face criminal charges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Womankind (charity)</span>

Womankind, formerly known as the New York Asian Women's Centre (NYAWC), was founded in 1982 by a group of volunteers led by Pat Eng. In 2017, the NYAWC changed its name to Womankind. It is a non-profit organization which aims to empower Asian survivors of gender based violence. Womankind was initially a community awareness program designed to educate families about domestic violence in Chinatown, and then developed into a 24-hour multilingual hotline that now includes 18 different Asian languages and dialects. Womankind also provides Asian immigrant women confidential services including an emergency refuge, shelter services, crisis counseling, 24-hour online free multilingual hotline, welfare promotion, support groups, parenting workshops, children's services, volunteer training, community education, and some English courses. Each year, the organization receives over 3,000 hotline calls.

The Women's Domestic Violence Court Assistance Scheme, commonly referred to by its initialism WDVCAS, comprises a network of organisations in New South Wales which information, advocacy and safety planning for women and their children who are escaping from or in danger of domestic violence. It is a key frontline support service. The Women's Domestic Violence Court Advocacy Service is the New South Wales Government organisation that provides funding and support for the WDVCASes, and ensures that they are operating according to their mandate. It was established in South Australia in July 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Safeguarding</span>

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Victims and Safeguarding is a junior role in His Majesty's Government held jointly in the Home Office and Ministry of Justice. It is held by Laura Farris MP since November 2023.

References

  1. ↑ Victoria Merlino (1 August 2019). "Law enables sex assault, stalking and trafficking survivors to conceal their addresses". Queens Eagle. Retrieved 5 September 2019.
  2. ↑ "Applicants | California Secretary of State". www.sos.ca.gov. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  3. ↑ "Address Confidentiality Program | D.C. Office of Victim Services and Justice Grants". www.ovsjg.dc.gov. Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  4. ↑ "Address Confidentiality Program - Arizona Secretary of State". www.azsos.gov.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Indiana ACP". victimsofcrime.org. Archived from the original on 2015-08-28.
  6. ↑ "About Safe at Home - California Secretary of State". www.sos.ca.gov.
  7. ↑ "Address Confidentiality Program - DCS". www.colorado.gov.
  8. ↑ "Address Confidentiality Program".
  9. ↑ "Address Confidentiality Programs - Public Contact Information - California Secretary of State". www.sos.ca.gov.
  10. ↑ "Address Confidentiality Program". sos.idaho.gov.
  11. ↑ "Illinois Attorney General - Illinois Address Confidentiality Program". illinoisattorneygeneral.gov. Retrieved 2020-10-02.
  12. ↑ "Attorney General: Address Confidentiality Program". www.in.gov. Retrieved 2019-10-20.
  13. ↑ "Safe at Home" (PDF).
  14. ↑ "Address Confidentiality Program". www.sos.la.gov. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  15. ↑ "Safe At Home". sos.maryland.gov. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  16. ↑ "Address Confidentiality Program". www.sec.state.ma.us. Retrieved 2023-02-18.
  17. ↑ "Address Confidentiality Program".
  18. ↑ IT, Missouri Secretary of State -. "Safe at Home". s1.sos.mo.gov. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  19. ↑ "Address Confidentiality Program - Montana Department of Justice". Montana Department of Justice. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  20. ↑ "Nebraska Secretary of State". www.sos.ne.gov. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  21. ↑ "Nevada Department of Health & Human Services Division of Child & Family Services : Confidential Address Program FAQ". nvsos.gov. Archived from the original on 2018-01-26. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  22. ↑ "Address Confidentiality FAQ | Victim Services | NH Department of Justice". www.doj.nh.gov. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  23. ↑ "Privacy & Confidentiality". NJCEDV. 2015-09-08. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  24. ↑ "DCF - State of New Jersey".
  25. ↑ "CAP Q & A". www.sos.state.nm.us. Retrieved 2018-02-07.
  26. ↑ "Contact ACP". www.dos.ny.gov. Archived from the original on 2012-12-08. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  27. ↑ "Address Confidentiality Program". www.ncdoj.gov. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  28. ↑ "Safe at Home - Victims - Ohio Secretary of State" (PDF). www.sos.state.oh.us. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2019-10-07. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  29. ↑ "Address Confidentiality Program (ACP)". Oklahoma Attorney General. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  30. ↑ "Address Confidentiality Program (ACP) - Oregon Department of Justice". Oregon Department of Justice. Retrieved 2018-02-08.
  31. ↑ "ACP FAQs". www.paacp.pa.gov. Retrieved 2018-02-11.
  32. ↑ "Privacy & Confidentiality". NJCEDV. 2015-09-08. Retrieved 2018-02-11.
  33. ↑ "Crime Victims - The Address Confidentiality Program (ACP)". www.texasattorneygeneral.gov. Archived from the original on 2018-12-25. Retrieved 2018-02-11.
  34. ↑ "Safe at Home | Home | Vermont Secretary of State". www.sec.state.vt.us. Archived from the original on 2018-02-13. Retrieved 2018-02-13.
  35. ↑ Miyares, Jason S., Address Confidentiality Program: Frequently Asked Questions (PDF), Commonwealth of Virginia Office of the Attorney General
  36. ↑ "Attorney General of Virginia". www.oag.state.va.us. Retrieved 2018-02-12.
  37. ↑ "Address Confidentiality Program - Washington Secretary of State" . Retrieved 2018-02-13.
  38. ↑ "Address Confidentiality Program" . Retrieved 2023-03-28.
  39. ↑ "Address Confidentiality Program". sos.wv.gov. Archived from the original on 2018-02-13. Retrieved 2018-02-13.
  40. ↑ "Voting | Wisconsin Department of Justice". www.doj.state.wi.us. Retrieved 2018-02-13.
  41. ↑ "Safe At Home | Wisconsin Department of Justice". www.doj.state.wi.us. Retrieved 2018-02-13.
  42. ↑ "AP20:088 Governor Newsom Signs Executive Order to Make Safe at Home Program Available for Public Health Officials :: California Secretary of State". www.sos.ca.gov. Secretary of State of California . Retrieved 16 December 2020.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.