“Nose Rings and Ankle Holsters” – A Discussion on Advocates and Cops

Advocacy and law enforcement professionals often struggle to partner on this winding journey known as the criminal justice system. Despite their shared goal of finding justice for survivors, assumptions and biases can create obstacles along the path.

Speakers:

What Happens When We Stop Fighting Each Other and Start Centering Survivors

This session focuses on the need for a campus and community response, the key stakeholders involved, and the need for collaboration among campus Title IX Offices and county Prosecutors in the criminal justice response. It will focus on overcoming the many barriers in place, specifically those unique to college campuses, that prevent survivors from accessing post-assault healthcare, including privacy, transportation, advocacy, and support.

Speakers:

A Multidisciplinary Approach to Holding Serial Sexual Offenders Accountable

Presented by a highly experienced panel including a forensic nurse, a police detective and a prosecutor, this session will focus on a case study involving a serial sexual offender, and details the involvement of multiple disciplines in investigating, building, and prosecuting the case. The presenters will also discuss how these different disciplines work together to prosecute sexually violent predators.

Speakers:

A Simple Multidisciplinary Approach to Strangulation that Doubled both Forensic Medical Examinations and Reports to Law Enforcement

The Tulsa Police Department coordinated a multi-agency community approach to address the consequences of the violent act of strangulation and promote the availability of medical examinations for patients.

Speakers:

Mindfulness for Multi-disciplinary Teams: Best Practices Gained from an Unprecedented Year

The COVID-19 pandemic uprooted daily life in ways most of us never imagined, and the effects have been ongoing, creating a consistent undercurrent of stress, uncertainty, and trauma. Coping skills for actively looking after our mental health, regulating our emotions, and maintaining our interpersonal relationships have never been more critical. Mindfulness allows us to focus on the present, get out of the worry loop, and center ourselves to move forward.

Speakers:

State Expert Committee: Innovative Approach to Statewide Leadership and Reform

This session will spotlight how Georgia improved criminal justice and public responses to sexual assault in communities throughout the state with a first-ever State Expert Committee (SEC). Created by invitation, the SEC is part of a larger collaborative project designed to build and strengthen sexual assault response teams (SARTs) across the state that remain respective of local design, resources, and capacity. The project was funded in 2013 with a grant awarded by the US Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women, and administered through the Georgia Governor’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. It involves partnerships with several advocacy organizations, the Georgia Public Safety Training Center, the Prosecuting Attorney’s Council, the Institute of Continuing Judicial Education, and the Administrative Office of the Courts for all of Georgia’s 49 judicial circuits and 159 counties.

The Sexual Assault Survivors’ Task Force: Transforming Texas’ Response to Sexual Violence

This presentation will highlight the outcomes of a bipartisan legislation designed to improve Texas’ response to sexual assault, culminating in the creation and implementation of a statewide Sexual Assault Survivors’ Task Force (SASTF) in Texas in 2019. This was a pivotal moment for sexual assault survivors in Texas, a state that has witnessed the passage of key legislation prioritizing survivors’ needs. This legislation includes newly mandated requirements for increased system accountability and transparency; the collection of multiple data sets illuminating critical aspects of how the system is functioning; and the creation of a statewide task force that includes survivors along with some of Texas’ foremost experts and practitioners in the field of sexual assault.

Speakers:

Who Do You Work For: An Exploration of Ethics for Victim-Serving Professionals

It is often difficult for victim-serving professionals to balance the ethics of their profession with an ethical response to crime victims. The conflicts of these ethical codes, and the misunderstandings that exist among our colleagues, create tension and mistrust across disciplines. While our roles may be different and our ethical obligations may vary, collaborating with victim service professionals is possible. This session will compare and contrast the ethical responsibilities of health care workers, law enforcement, prosecutors, corrections, therapists, and victim advocates towards the goal of fostering understanding among colleagues and increasing ethical behavior and communication toward victims.

Speakers:

Opening Doors: Alternative Reporting Options for Sexual Assault Victims

This presentation explores strategies to increase reporting options for sexual assault victims. These approaches are grounded in a victim-centered and trauma-informed philosophy, encapsulated in the concepts of one step at a time and opening doors.

Speakers:

Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Exam – A Case Study Highlighting The Need for Better Collaboration

In June 2011, the Platte County, Missouri Sheriff’s Office responded to the report of a body located in a conservation area. When they arrived, deputies found a semi-nude white female with severe injuries to her head, wearing only a bikini top. The deceased was identified as Alyssa Shippert. The cause of death was multiple blunt force injuries to the head. The Sheriff’s office worked numerous leads but was unable to establish a suspect in the case.

Speakers: