Alessandra Barlas was 27 years old when she was brutally murdered on October 23, 2015 by her former boyfriend.  It was later learned that the murderer had served time in jail for after attempting to murder a previous girlfriend. While it will never be known, had that information been somehow publicly available, Alessandra’s death might have been prevented. Out of this tragedy, The Alessandra Foundation was formed with the stated Cause to promote an environment of truth and public awareness about domestic violence and shine the bright light of Truth on those that perpetrate these horrific acts of violence.

Alessandra’s murder is a tragic example of the need for a different approach in dealing with convicted abusers.

Current law in most states does not allow the public to access any type of conviction records. However, in June 2023 Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed HB 5202 Authored by Texas State Representative Victoria Neave-Criado, and sponsored in the Senate by Senator John Whitmire that created a searchable Violent Offender Database for the state of Texas that allows free access to conviction records of anyone who has been convicted 2 or more times of a domestic violence offense. It became operational on December 29, 2023 and is operated by the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The Alessandra Foundation has established two distinct approaches to address the numerous issues surrounding Domestic Violence. They are:

Education/Public Awareness and Public Advocacy

Education and Public Awareness

Bringing awareness of domestic violence to the public through educational programs

The Foundation will partner with other like-minded organizations to develop and implement programs designed to educate the community about the horrors of domestic violence and its affects upon families and society as a whole; Work to educate the community about the absolute true value of women and children, the long-lasting generational effects of domestic violence in families; and then, to activate the voice of youth to bring about the changes needed to end all acts of domestic violence in our families. It all starts at home.

Advocacy

The Alessandra Foundation will work with Public Officials, legislators and professionals to develop and draft legislation allowing the creation of an online “Violent Offender Database” - that would grant public access to certain Domestic Violence related conviction records. Also, will continue to strongly advocate for tougher sentencing requirements for those convicted of domestic violence offenses.

 The Alessandra Foundation is 501(c) (3) Public charity and California non-profit corporation.  
Tax I.D. 81-3263288.

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