CVR Community

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http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11990/1

This Center for Victim Research Community serves as a one-stop resource for victim service providers and researchers to connect and share knowledge to increase (1) access to victim research and data and (2) the utility of research and data collection to crime victim services nationwide. This CVR Community contains open access and public domain research-based resources about victims of crime. This community is continually updated. Contact librarian@victimresearch.org to submit a resource.

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Now showing 1 - 7 of 7

Authenticity, Coherence, and Power Shifts: A Framework for Assessing Community Engagement Across the Criminal Justice System
(Wiley, 2020) Werth, S. Rose; Comfort, Megan; Demichele, Matthew; Lattimore, Pamela
Criminal justice agencies increasingly use community engagement practices in efforts to improve public safety and garner legitimacy. While crime rates can be measured, improved legitimacy is harder to gauge. This article provides a framework to assess the influence of community engagement practices in the criminal justice system on legitimacy in three areas: authenticity, coherence in structure, and shifts in power dynamics. We explore each component through case studies of community policing, consent decrees, and community courts, respectively. We propose that this framework could be used to assess or build the capacity of community engagement to repair relationships with marginalised communities. (Author Abstract)
A Blueprint for Change: Toward a National Strategy to End Sexual Abuse of Children with Disabilities
(Vera Institute for Justice, 2018) Harrell, Sandra
This blueprint is the culmination of literature reviews, stakeholder interviews, round table discussions, and an overall collective effort among advocates from the fields of child advocacy, victim services, and disability—as well as professionals from the criminal justice system—to chart a course for ending sexual abuse of children with disabilities. Because so little work has been done in this area, we relied heavily on our own experiences in the field, together with the many, many stories of sexual abuse we have heard from people with disabilities. The blueprint provides a brief summary of what we learned, and offers practical suggestions for integrating the needs of children with disabilities into prevention efforts, intervention efforts, and first responses….According to the National Crime Victimization Survey, people with disabilities face at least double the risk of violent crime victimization compared to those with no disabilities. When factors like age and type of disability are taken into account, more specific concerns emerge. In fact, children with intellectual and mental health disabilities are at a much greater risk of victimization: 4.6 times that of their peers without disabilities. (Author Text)
Ending Sexual Violence Through Transformative Justice
(University of Minnesota, 2018) Armatta, Judith
Sexual violence is used to maintain what Dr. Riane Eisler (1990) conceptualizes as the dominator model of society. The early days of the feminist anti-violence movement focused on changing the dominator model, but, in part, this focus was co-opted by seeking criminal justice solutions, contributing to punitive responses and mass incarceration that have been ineffective in ending sexual violence. The racist history of the rape charge and its disproportionate effect on people of color, an effect that continues today. Legislators have passed draconian laws that uniquely appl y to anyone convicted of a sex offense, the defini tion of which has been broadened to encompass harmless behavior. A separate legal regime for sex offenders that isolates them from society and marks them for life as monsters obfuscates the causes of sexual violence and contributes to the problem. T he femi nist anti - violence movement remains influential , though little recognized, in today’s efforts to respond to sexual violence through restorative justice and transformative justice. A number of groups have adopted the RJ/TJ model, in particular women of colo r. The article provides e xamples of successful and unsuccessful implementation of RJ/TJ and discusses i mpediments to wider adoption of this approach. RJ/TJ is a promising alternative to the current criminal justice response to sexual assault, one that will bring us closer to a partnership culture
Examining the Narratives of Military Sexual Trauma Survivors
(Portland State University, 2020) Gonzalez-Prats, Maria Carolina
Background: The return of military sexual trauma (MST) to the national spotlight has been fueled by a combination of continued reports of sexual assaults across the various military branches, increased visibility of sexual abuse scandals in the media, and mounting calls for accountability from veteran advocacy groups and legislators. Although there have been numerous reforms implemented by the military, there still exists a significant gap still exists between the military's official efforts and the reality of the survivors' experiences. Consequently, more research is needed to understand how survivors perceive the military's efforts, how these efforts affect their experiences, and how future MST prevention and response programs can be improved. Methods: This qualitative study was based on open-ended and semi-structured interviews with a national sample of 21 Army, Navy, and Air Force service members who experienced sexual harassment and/or sexual assault in the military between 2003 and 2019. We conducted a thematic analysis with a secondary coder to identify semantic and latent themes within the lived experiences of MST survivors. Findings: Four key findings that emerged from the interviews: (a) the military's culture of sexism and misogyny contributes to MST, (b) the leadership and the chain of command matters, (c) response efforts were often (re)traumatizing; and (d) prevention efforts, particularly training, are important and often inadequate. Additionally, the participants provided eight recommendations for military leaders to improve the culture, as well as their MST prevention and response efforts. Conclusion: The study findings suggest that the MST prevention/response strategies needs to (a) be consistent with military values and culture; b) be balanced with consistent accountability and military justice policies, and (c) ensure that prevention training facilitators have a robust skillset to deal with difficult/sensitive subject matter. Additionally, participants pointed out examples of what a survivor-centered prevention and response strategy could look like. Implications: This qualitative study provides a baseline for future MST research in the area of sexual assault and prevention programming in both the military and veteran communities. This study also offers civilian practitioners in the fields of social work and social work education additional insight into sexual trauma within the context of the military culture. (Author Abstract)
An Overview of Systems Collaboration Efforts to Address the Co-occurrence of Domestic Violence and Child Maltreatment
(Center on Violence Against Women and Children, 2016) DiBella, Brittany; Postmus, Judy; Simmel, Cassandra; Eckert, Caitlin
The research team at VAWC [Violence Against Women and Children] reviewed academic literature and reports to learn how child welfare and domestic violence agencies across the U.S. have and are currently addressing the co-occurrence of domestic violence and child maltreatment as well as factors that either facilitate or hinder collaboration between systems...This research brief will focus on challenges that impede collaboration between child welfare workers and domestic violence service providers followed by a review of the collaborative models used by states around the country to address the co-occurrence of domestic violence and child maltreatment. (Author Text)
The RESTORE Program of Restorative Justice for Sex Crimes: Vision, Process, and Outcomes
(American Bar Association, 2013) Koss, Mary
The article reports empirical evaluation of RESTORE, a restorative justice (RJ) conferencing program adapted to prosecutor-referred adult misdemeanor and felony sexual assaults. RESTORE conferences included voluntary enrollment, preparation, and a face-to-face meeting where primary and secondary victims voice impacts, and responsible persons acknowledge their acts and together develop a re-dress plan that is supervised for 1 year. Process data included referral and consent rates, participant characteristics, observational ratings of conferences compared with program design, services delivered, and safety monitoring. Outcome evaluation used 22 cases to assess (a) pre–post reasons for choosing RESTORE, (b) preparation and conference experiences, (c) overall program and justice satisfaction, and (d) completion rates. This is the first peer-reviewed quantitative evaluation of RJ conferencing for adult sexual assault. Although the data have limitations, the results support cautious optimism regarding feasibility, safety, and satisfactory outcomes. They help envision how conferencing could expand and individualize justice options for sexual assault. (Author Abstract)
Smart, Safe, and Fair: Strategies to Prevent Youth Violence, Heal Victims of Crime, and Reduce Racial Inequality
(Justice Policy Institute, 2018)
In Smart, Safe, and Fair, the Justice Policy Institute (JPI) and the National Center for Victims of Crime (NCVC) explore how to build more effective approaches to serve youth involved in a violent crime in the community. JPI started by researching strategies for maintaining public safety when a youth is involved in violent crime and examined the barriers to serving more youth involved in these behaviors at home. JPI also solicited input from a diverse spectrum of stakeholders, including young people directly impacted by the justice system, public defenders and prosecutors, advocates and policy-makers....After the initial research, JPI partnered with NCVC to gain insight into, and recommendations for, how best to serve youth charged with violent crime. This includes assessing whether the field supports serving youth involved in violent crime in a community setting. As part of this effort, in December, 2017, NCVC invited victims and victim advocates from across the country to a roundtable to consider and discuss these issues. The purpose of the conversation was to engage the two communities—juvenile justice researchers and advocates with crime victims and victim advocates—in a dialogue around the research and policy solutions. Victims were consistent in their views, including the fact that they: Do not equate accountability with confinement; Want a voice in the process that resolves young people’s behavior; Want opportunities for youth to get what they need so they no longer engage in crime; Support eliminating some of the barriers that prevent youth involved in a violent crime from being served in the community; Want more resources designated to support youth rehabilitation in the community; Say that whether the youth was involved in violent or nonviolent crime is far less important to them than whether the youth is served effectively, held accountable, and the victim(s) are safe and their needs are met; Want the youth justice system to address the reality that young people involved in violent crimes are often victims of violence themselves and need trauma-informed services for successful rehabilitation; Are concerned with how racial and ethnic disparities affect the treatment and services provided to both youth offenders and victims; and Believe that serving youth involved in violent crime should not be built around the current philosophy of confinement. Instead, it should be built around a set of principles that focus on rehabilitation, victim safety, and the provision of ample services by both parties. [CVRL Note: see pages 10-11 for consensus found through roundtables with crime victims, and the longer section on victims' perspectives is pages 34-41.] (Author Text)

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