Joan Angela D'Alessandro Memorial Foundation

Joan’s law was initially passed by the New Jersey legislature in 1997 signed by Governor Christie Todd Whitman. Joan’s law requires a mandatory life sentence without any chance of parole for sexual offenders who murdered a child under 14 years of age. Joan’s law is dedicated after the memory of Joan D’Alessandro a 7 year old Girl Scout who was brutally murdered, raped, and sexually assaulted delivering Girl scout cookies to her neighbor on April 19, 1973.The law did not apply to Joan’s murderer, Joseph McGowan as he committed the murder and heinous sexual acts before the 1997 passage of Joan’s law. Incredibly McGowan was deemed eligible for a parole hearing which through the persevering efforts of Rosemarie D’Alessandro and her supporters was defeated.

A resolute Rosemarie D’Alessandro, Joan’s mother, strongly felt that changes in our laws were needed protecting children from sexual assault. Thus, began a 25+ year campaign to educate the public and legislators about the need to change New Jersey law and its penalties regarding child murder, rape, and sexual abuse.

A three-year grassroots movement led by Rosemarie D’Alessandro resulted in Joan’s law being signed by NJ Governor Christie Todd Whitman into law on April 3, 1997. Passage of the law meant that future victim’s families did not have to go through the heartache and pain that the D’Alessandro family suffered in their successful effort to have McGowans parole request denied. McGowan subsequently died in prison in 2021.

A federal version of the law was signed by President Clinton on October 30, 1998. In 2004 the state of New York with the help and guidance from the Joan Angela D’Alessandro Foundation passed Joan’s law virtually intact with the 1997 initial Joan’s law passed in the state of NJ. At the time of the passage of Joan’s law, Rosemarie saw the urgent need for additional child victims’ rights that needed to be protected. Rosemarie proposed and advocated for the Justice for Victims law which was passed by the NJ legislature on November 17, 2000. The law eliminates the statute of limitations for wrongful death actions brought in murder, manslaughter, and aggravated manslaughter cases, allowing the victims to sue criminals if they acquire inheritance or other assets any time after the crime. On July 21, 2017 NJ Governor Chris Christie passed Joan's Law Extension which calls for life imprisonment without parole for the murder of anyone under the age of 18 during the commission of a sex crime.

At the present time we need your support for the Expansion of Joan's law New York which keeps intact the original Joan’s NY law passed in 2004 while calling for the imprisonment without parole for the murder of anyone under the age of 18 during the commission of a sex crime. The NY law expansion has been 4 years in the making. The NY Joan's law Expansion has taken time because of sponsors who were defeated in general elections and the beliefs of some of the legislators.

We also need your support for the foundation’s community outreach programs, our 10th annual child safety festival, our podcast, ongoing programs to educate adults promoting child safety awareness, programs regarding children's rights, and the distribution of the topical and enlightening book “The Message of Light and Letters of Darkness'' written by Rosemarie B. D’Alessandro, along with completion of the audio tape of the book. The proceeds from the book benefit the Foundation child safety programs.

The foundation needs to hire a part time intern as soon as possible to help with fundraising, event planning and to get this important story out there that spreads awareness about child safety and brings a needed hopeful message to society.

We need your support in order to meet our objectives outlined above for 2024 and beyond. No gift is too small. The foundation is a non-profit and your contributions are tax deductible. Please contribute to this very important cause.

Joan's Joy Web Site

Supporters holding hands and standing up for child safety at the last Joan's Joy Child Safety Fest