(JTA) — Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes released the names of 46 child sex offenders from the New York borough’s Orthodox community.
Hynes, who has been investigating sex crimes in the community for four years, released the names in a policy shift, according to the New York Post (see full list of names). Previously, Hynes had felt that releasing the names could further hurt victims or deter others from coming forward.
“We feel now it’s good for the community to know those who have been convicted,” said Hynes spokesman Jerry Schmetterer.
The District Attorney’s office is encouraging victims from the community to connect with an anonymous hotline called Kol Tzedek, Hebrew for “voice of justice,” that was set up to snare the community’s sex offenders. Calls to Kol Tzedek have resulted in 25 convictions.
Hynes has declined thus far to release the names of alleged sex offenders from the community whose cases are pending.
