Advocate Confidentiality Statutes Revised 2014 National Center on Protection Orders and Full Faith & Credit 1901 North Fort Myer Drive, Suite 1011 Arlington, Virginia 22209 Toll Free: (800) 903-0111, prompt 2 Direct: (703) 312-7922 Fax: (703) 312-7966 Email: [email protected] Website: http://www.fullfaithandcredit.org State statutes are constantly changing. Please independently verify the information found in this document. If you have a correction or update, please contact us at (800) 903-0111, prompt 2 or via email at [email protected]. This project is supported by Grant No. 2011-TA-AX-K080 awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women. Compiled by the National Center on Protection Orders and Full Faith & Credit TABLE OF CONTENTS NOTE: For your convenience, hyperlinks are located on each state name in this Table of Contents. For faster access, please select the name of the state you would like to view. ALABAMA .................................................................................... 3 MONTANA ................................................................................. 29 ALASKA ....................................................................................... 3 NEBRASKA ................................................................................. 29 ARIZONA ..................................................................................... 6 NEVADA .................................................................................... 31 ARKANSAS ................................................................................... 7 NEW HAMPSHIRE....................................................................... 31 CALIFORNIA ................................................................................. 8 NEW JERSEY ............................................................................... 34 COLORADO ................................................................................ 14 NEW MEXICO ............................................................................. 36 CONNECTICUT............................................................................ 14 NEW YORK ................................................................................. 37 DELAWARE ................................................................................ 16 NORTH CAROLINA ...................................................................... 38 DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA ............................................................. 16 NORTH DAKOTA ........................................................................ 39 FLORIDA .................................................................................... 17 OHIO ......................................................................................... 39 GEORGIA ................................................................................... 18 OKLAHOMA ............................................................................... 39 HAWAII ..................................................................................... 18 OREGON .................................................................................... 40 IDAHO ....................................................................................... 19 PENNSYLVANIA .......................................................................... 41 ILLINOIS ..................................................................................... 19 RHODE ISLAND .......................................................................... 42 INDIANA .................................................................................... 20 SOUTH CAROLINA ...................................................................... 42 IOWA ........................................................................................ 21 SOUTH DAKOTA ......................................................................... 42 KANSAS ..................................................................................... 22 TENNESSEE ................................................................................ 42 KENTUCKY ................................................................................. 22 TEXAS ........................................................................................ 42 LOUISIANA ................................................................................ 23 UTAH ......................................................................................... 43 MAINE ....................................................................................... 23 VERMONT.................................................................................. 44 MARYLAND ................................................................................ 26 VIRGINIA ................................................................................... 44 MASSACHUSETTS ....................................................................... 26 WASHINGTON ........................................................................... 45 MICHIGAN ................................................................................. 27 WEST VIRGINIA .......................................................................... 47 MINNESOTA .............................................................................. 28 WISCONSIN ............................................................................... 48 MISSISSIPPI ............................................................................... 28 WYOMING ................................................................................. 49 MISSOURI .................................................................................. 28 STATE STATUTE ALABAMA Code of Ala. § 30-6-8 (2013) § 30-6-8. Information confidential. Oral communications between a domestic violence victim and an advocate and written reports and records concerning the victim may not be disclosed without the written consent of the victim. This privilege does not relieve a person from any duty imposed pursuant to Section 26-14-1* or Section 38-9-2. A victim or advocate may not claim this privilege when providing evidence in proceedings concerning child abuse, but may claim this privilege in all other proceedings, both criminal and civil. This privilege expires upon the death of the victim. Each facility, with the approval of the office, shall establish its own rules, regulations, and policies for the performance of the responsibilities charged to it in this chapter. The office shall ensure that the information obtained under authority of this chapter shall be restricted to the items germane to the implementation thereof and shall ensure that the provisions are administered so as not to accumulate any information or distribute any information that is not required by this chapter. The office and each participating district attorney shall ensure that adequate safeguards are incorporated so that data available is used only by properly authorized persons, facilities, and agencies. Code of Ala. § 26-14-1 (2013)* § 26-14-1. Definitions. For the purposes of this chapter, the following terms shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by this section: (1) Abuse. Harm or threatened harm to a child's health or welfare. Harm or threatened harm to a child's health or welfare can occur through nonaccidental physical or mental injury, sexual abuse or attempted sexual abuse or sexual exploitation or attempted sexual exploitation. "Sexual abuse" includes the employment, use, persuasion, inducement, enticement, or coercion of any child to engage in, or having a child assist any other person to engage in any sexually explicit conduct or any simulation of the conduct for the purpose of producing any visual depiction of the conduct; or the rape, molestation, prostitution, or other form of sexual exploitation of children, or incest with children as those acts are defined by Alabama law. "Sexual exploitation" includes allowing, permitting, or encouraging a child to engage in prostitution and allowing, permitting, encouraging or engaging in the obscene or pornographic photographing, filming, or depicting of a child for commercial purposes. (2) Neglect. Negligent treatment or maltreatment of a child, including the failure to provide adequate food, medical treatment, supervision, clothing, or shelter. (3) Child. A person under the age of 18 years. (4) Duly constituted authority. The chief of police of a municipality or municipality and county; or the sheriff, if the observation of child abuse or neglect is made in an unincorporated territory; or the Department of Human Resources; or any person, organization, corporation, group, or agency authorized and designated by the Department of Human Resources to receive reports of child abuse and neglect; provided, that a "duly constituted authority" shall not include an agency involved in the acts or omissions of the reported child abuse or neglect. ALASKA Alaska Stat. § 18.66.200 (2013) 3 STATE STATUTE Sec. 18.66.200. Compulsory disclosure of communications prohibited (a) Except as provided in AS 18.66.210 or 18.66.220, a victim or victim counselor may not be compelled, without appropriate consent, to give testimony or to produce records concerning confidential communications for any purpose in a criminal, civil, legislative, or