Open Access Research Collection
Permanent URI for this collection
This collection of resources includes scholarly journal articles, book chapters, government publications, statistical reports, evaluation studies, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, audio and video expert syntheses, and other authoritative, evidence-based resources pertaining to all aspects of crimes against individuals and support for victims.
search this collection
search this collection
Browse
Recent Submissions
Item Understanding the trafficking of children for the purposes of labor in the United States(U.S. Department of Justice, 2024-04) Farrell, Amy; Dank, Meredith; Kaufka Walts, Katherine; Hansson, Callie; Hughes, Andrea; Neal, ChleceThe exploitation of children who are working in the United States is a critical social issue. While recent public attention has been directed toward labor abuses of migrant children, there is strong evidence that labor trafficking impacts a wide range of children who experience individual and structural vulnerabilities. Despite public concern about the exploitation and labor trafficking of children, we lack detailed information about what young people are exploited for labor, the contexts under which these abuses occur, and how to best meet the needs of these young survivors – both U.S. citizen and foreign-national. Utilizing data from 71 cases of child labor trafficking either prosecuted by U.S. officials or served by legal advocacy agencies in four U.S. sites. Across these cases information was coded for 132 child labor trafficking victims and 145 child labor trafficking perpetrators. Case data was supplemented with in-depth interviews with legal advocates, victim service providers, child welfare, law enforcement and other government officials, as well as adult child labor trafficking survivors, this study fills important gaps in our knowledge.Item Framing adversity, trauma, and resilience(FrameWorks UK, 2024-03-26) Sweetland, JulieHow can advocates talk about trauma-informed approaches in ways that resonate beyond “the choir?” And how can proponents highlight the potential of trauma-informed approaches for organizations and systems, given its roots in clinical care? This brief offers framing guidance for researchers, advocates, and practitioners advancing systems change on child abuse and neglect, family violence, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), early trauma and trauma informed care, and toxic stress.Item Sexual victimization in early childhood: A narrative review of clinical aspects(Papeles Del Psicologo, 2023) Pereda, N.There is a significant lack of research and knowledge regarding sexual victimization in the early childhood or preschool developmental stage. The present review aims to offer a solid theoretical framework for professionals in the victimology field on the experiences of sexual victimization of boys and girls up to 6 years of age. The topics covered include the epidemiology of the problem, the characteristics of victimization, the consequences that the experience of victimization in the preschool stage implies for the victim, and intervention in early childhood. The studies included in the review allow us to conclude that sexual victimization of preschoolers is a more frequent problem than it is generally assumed, but one hose magnitude is truly unknown, with serious consequences for the victims. Intervention should concentrate on trauma focused cognitive-behavioral therapy since it has the most empirical evidence for this age group. [Author Abstract]Item Adverse childhood experience trajectories and individual high risk-behaviors of sexual offenders: A developmental victimology perspective(PubMed, Elsevier, 2023-09-17) Chopin, Julien; Beauregard, Eric; DeLisi, MattBackground: Developmental victimology theory suggests that developmental features of risk and impact stemming from various types of victimization depend on the age of the child or adolescent. Objective: A next step is studying the developmental victimization trajectories of individuals involved in sexual crimes by focusing on traumatic events occurring during childhood and adolescence respectively. Building on the developmental victimology perspective, the study's specific aims encompass two key objectives: 1) exploring the diverse trajectories of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) within a sample of individuals involved in sexual crimes, and 2) assessing whether these ACEs trajectories influence the emergence of distinct high-risk behaviors. Participants and setting: 252 individuals convicted of sexual crimes were selected from a federal penitentiary in Quebec, Canada. Methods: Semi-structured interviews with a computerized questionnaire produced data on numerous aspects of the participant's life history, criminal career, and victimization experiences that were analyzed via latent class modeling. Results: Four classes (no ACEs trajectory, poly exposure and victimization trajectory, childhood exposure trajectory, and poly victimization trajectory) were identified. Conclusions: Consistent with hypotheses, developmental ACEs trajectories are heterogeneous and associated with the criminal careers, adolescent problematic behaviors, substance use disorders, and violence history among individuals involved in sexual offending. [Author Abstract]Item Digital-based interventions for complex post-traumatic stress disorder: A systematic literature review(Sage, 2024) Blackie, Meg; De Boer, Kathleen; Seabrook, Liz; Bates, Glen; Nedeljkovic, MajaResearch has shown that complex post-traumatic stress disorder (cPTSD) differs from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on core symptoms relating to the individual’s sense of self, and this has driven the need for treatment approaches to address these specific features of cPTSD. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the increased use of digital-based interventions (DBIs) to treat mental illnesses, including trauma-related disorders. However, while evidence for the use of DBIs for PTSD has previously been synthesized, the current review is the first synthesis of research on the use of DBIs for cPTSD. A systematic search of Scopus, PsychINFO, and EBSCOhost was conducted, using search terms targeting “cPTSD” and “DBIs,” to identify research on the use of DBIs to treat cPTSD symptoms. Ten papers were identified, which provided preliminary evidence for the efficacy of DBIs to reduce cPTSD symptoms. Further, DBIs were reported as acceptable by individuals with a history of complex trauma. The paper also provides insight into the therapeutic approaches adopted, digital modalities utilized, safety measures included, and whether/to what degree support was provided. While DBIs show promise for treating cPTSD, there is substantial room for advancement of the empirical evidence base for these approaches. Both clinical and research-based recommendations are provided separately. [Author Abstract]Item Historical child sexual abuse cases reported to the police by Indigenous adults in northern Candian territory: An exploration of factors affecting the likelihood of charges and convictions(Taylor & Francis, 2024-03-10) Chenier, Kate; Shawyer, Andrea; Williams, Andrew; Milne, RebeccaThe current research examined historical child sexual abuse files from a northern Canadian police force, looking at factors pertaining to the offence, the complainant and the suspect, in an area with a large Indigenous population. The dataset analyzed represented all reported cases (N= 229) of historical child sexual abuse by Indigenous complainants in the database of the participating force from 2005 to 2019. Analysis of all cases showed charges were more likely in cases with multiple complainants, female complainants and complainants 11–14 years old at the time of the abuse. For cases where charges were laid (n= 135), convictions were slightly more likely in cases with less serious offences. For trial cases (n=75), multiple complainants, the relationship of suspect to complainant, age of suspect and age difference between complainant and suspect were significantly associated with trial outcome. Ethnicity of suspects showed no relationship to charges or convictions. [Author Abstract]Item Part two: Guardianship data reform(Justice In Aging, 2024-03-24) Berchtold, JimDetailed data on guardianship is almost nonexistent and even basic information is largely unknown. At the macro level, it is unclear even how many adults in the United States are currently under guardianship. At the micro level, there is no data to illuminate the identity of those adults – their age, race, ethnicity, sex, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, immigration status, or language spoken – or the factors that led to guardianship in the first place – their health issues, cognitive impairment, finances, housing and living conditions, and the like. The reasons cited for the general lack of data are numerous: insufficient funding and resources, non-unified court systems that are locally governed, outdated technology or lack of technology, varying case management systems within a state and from state to state, and lack of standardized methodology to label and count cases, to name a few. The reasons become more complex as the data becomes more granular and more sensitive. Court case tracking systems are typically not designed for guardianship cases, which, unlike other civil cases, might remain open and active for decades, potentially changing drastically over the life of the case. Parties might be reluctant to disclose detailed demographic information due to mistrust of the judicial system and a history of unequal treatment. Courts might refrain from collecting information to avoid accusations of improper motive or data utilization. Even if collected, courts might be unwilling to share the data based on perceived confidentiality or, again, fear of reprisal, in which case the data furthers no larger analysis beyond the court’s internal use. This absence of data has hindered research and reform efforts across the larger guardianship system. With respect to more targeted, subset research and reform relating specifically to guardianship and marginalized communities – communities that have been excluded from, or faced barriers to, involvement in prevailing political, social, and economic structures, such as communities of color and the LGBTQ+ community – it has created a vacuum. [Author Introduction]Item Victim Impact: Listen and Learn Evaluation(Victims' Voices Heard, 2015) Baird, JanetteThis is a report of the evaluation study conducted to examine the effects of the Victim Impact: Listen and Learn program on the behaviors of the prisoners who attended this program. The focus of the data we collected and reported on was on the participants’ behaviors after attending the program but while still in prison, and upon release from prison. Main findings 1. From the available data on 333 prisoners who had attended the Victim Impact: Listen and Learn program prior to their release back into the community, 118 or 35% re-offended and were re-committed back into prison within the state of Delaware within a three-year period following release. Comparable data provided by a 2013 DELJIS report on prisoner recidivism reported that within three-years of release 67% of prisoners re-offended and were re-committed back into Delaware prisons. 2. Prisoners who attended the program and remained in prisons after attending the program showed a reduction by a third in the frequency of disciplinary charges for the period of imprisonment after attending the program. (Author Text)Item The thread of trauma: A critical analysis of the criminal legal system(ICF International Inc., 2023-08-22) Slovinsky, Tammi L.A thread of trauma weaves throughout the U.S. criminal legal system, beginning with individual childhood experiences that are situated within families, communities, and systems that are embedded in structural oppression, thereby increasing the risk of initial and subsequent traumas. The criminal legal system, where individuals who experience prior trauma are more likely to be system-involved, exposes racial minority youths especially to further trauma. This thread also impacts criminal legal system professionals who bear witness to the indirect trauma of victims and people who have harmed, which is often manifested in secondary and vicarious trauma symptoms, while may also cause them to grapple with their own prior trauma. The author offers a critical theory of trauma based on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological framework, first by examining select scholarly research on individual-, relationship-, community-, and system-level trauma, including trauma within the criminal legal system. The system is then examined through the lens of critical race theory, which both explains the persistence of oppression within the system and provides a path to reform by centering on the lived experiences of those most impacted. The author then applies the concepts of secondary and vicarious trauma, psychological safety, and institutional betrayal to explore original research on the impacts of working sex crimes on prosecutors. Finally, implications for system- and organizational-level change and recommendations for future research are offered, including the meaningful engagement of individuals with lived experiences in the development, implementation, and evaluation of victim-centered, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive programs and services. [Author Abstract]Item Economic empowerment for people who have experienced human trafficking: A guide for anti-trafficking service providers(U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2023-10) Charm, Samantha; Melander, Christina; Vollinger, Lauren; D'Arcangelo, Brianna; Pfeffer, Rebecca; Ouya, Carolyne; Gonzalez, Sarah; Coleman, Lateesha; Hang, Ummra; Roseborough, DominiqueEconomic empowerment is often a critical need for people who have experienced human trafficking, from their moment of exit through their long-term recovery. An increasing number of anti-trafficking service providers are beginning to address these needs, offering programs focused on financial literacy, job training, cash assistance, and more. Yet there is little guidance for practitioners as they support the economic well-being of anti-trafficking program participants. This guide is intended to serve as a foundation for organizations considering starting, expanding, or refining programs addressing economic empowerment of people with lived experience of human trafficking. In this guide we: - share key findings and recommendations for programming related to five tiers of economic empowerment: crisis management, career exploration, skill building and work readiness, experience building, and employment. - provide strategies and considerations for applying these recommendations, such as through survivor or lived experience engagement, partnership development, funding, and program evaluation.Item An evaluation of victims' needs in the criminal justice system(Crest, 2023-12) HMICFRSA report from the United Kingdom focused on how effectively the criminal justice system meets the needs of victims of high volume crimes at every stage of their journey. The report includes participant journey maps.Item The half-built road: Exploring the impediments to justice for victims of labor trafficking(Taylor & Francis Group, LLC, 2024) Childress, Chase; Farrell, Amy; Wagner, Amelia; Bhimani, Shawn; Maass, Kayse LeePublished by Taylor & Francis Online & Retrieved from: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23322705.2024.2303252 The exploitation of people in forced labor is a significant human rights violation and a threat to community safety. Despite enhanced efforts to identify and prosecute labor trafficking perpetrators in the U.S. relatively few traffickers have been held accountable. Legal advocates and providers increasingly pursue civil litigation, immigration relief, and other roads to meet victims’ needs and achieve justice. Less understood are the specific legal, structural, and cultural barriers that make the road to justice through the criminal legal system difficult for victims of labor trafficking. Utilizing a comparative case study approach, we examine the life course of five labor trafficking cases through crucial decision points in the criminal legal process. Cases were selected to provide a range of legal system pathways. Data for each case includes legal advocate case records, client interview notes, correspondence between stakeholders, court records, and stakeholder interviews. Through comparative analysis techniques, we identify barriers that derail offender accountability and stymie victim support. The findings provide guidance to improve offender accountability and suggest alternative roads to justice centering on the needs of victims. Identifying barriers in implementing anti-trafficking laws promotes more just, peaceful, and inclusive societies in furtherance of UN Sustainability Goal 16. [Author Abstract]Item From research to action: Disrupting work interference among teen dating partners(Futures Without Violence, 2022) Futures Without Violence; UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh; The Allstate FoundationPart of Futures Without Violence's (FWV) research on teen economic abuse. FWV administered a 107-question survey exploring topics ranging from experiences and use of economic abuse within relationships, to views on economic sabotage, control, exploitation as abusive behavior, to gift giving expectations, and to the impacts of economic insecurity on relationship decisions. This factsheet explores the various ways dating partners influence one's decisions around employment and their ability to succeed in the workplace.Item Economic abuse within adolescent relationships: Summary report(Futures Without Violence, 2022) Futures Without Violence; UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh; The Allstate FoundationFutures Without Violence, in partnership with The Allstate Foundation and University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, launched a survey in 2021 to examine how educational, employment, and financial interference may occur in teen dating or romantic relationships and to identify opportunities to prevent economic abuse. This survey summary reports findings on economic abuse within teen dating relationships: teens' attitudes and views related to relationship priorities and gender roles in relationships, and who can play a role in supporting healthy relationships that are free from economic abuse.Item The findings: Economic abuse among teens(Futures Without Violence., 2022) Futures Without Violence; UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh; The Allstate FoundationPart of Futures Without Violence's (FWV) research on teen economic abuse. FWV administered a 107-question survey exploring topics ranging from experiences and use of economic abuse within relationships, to views on economic sabotage, control, exploitation as abusive behavior, to gift giving expectations, and to the impacts of economic insecurity on relationship decisions. This PowerPoint deck summarizes key survey findings from the research. The presentation includes graphs and charts.Item From research to action: Disrupting educational interference among teen dating partners(Futures Without Violence, 2022) Futures Without Violence; UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh; The Allstate FoundationPart of Futures Without Violence's (FWV) research on teen economic abuse. FWV administered a 107-question survey exploring topics ranging from experiences and use of economic abuse within relationships, to views on economic sabotage, control, exploitation as abusive behavior, to gift giving expectations, and to the impacts of economic insecurity on relationship decisions. This factsheet explores how teens may be pressured by an abusive partner to be disengaged at school, controlling their activities, and discouraging them from pursuing their education and career goals.Item Economic abuse within adolescent relationships: Views, attitudes, and influential factors(Futures Without Violence, 2022) Futures Without Violence; UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh; The Allstate FoundationPart of Futures Without Violence's (FWV) research on teen economic abuse. FWV administered a 107-question survey exploring topics ranging from experiences and use of economic abuse within relationships, to views on economic sabotage, control, exploitation as abusive behavior, to gift giving expectations, and to the impacts of economic insecurity on relationship decisions. This factsheet describes teens views on whether education/employment interference or financial control is abusive and considered dating or domestic violence.Item From research to action: Disrupting financial control among teen dating partners(Futures Without Violence, 2022) Futures Without Violence; UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh; The Allstate FoundationPart of Futures Without Violence's (FWV) research on teen economic abuse. FWV administered a 107-question survey exploring topics ranging from experiences and use of economic abuse within relationships, to views on economic sabotage, control, exploitation as abusive behavior, to gift giving expectations, and to the impacts of economic insecurity on relationship decisions. This factsheet shows how abusive partners may control or exploit their partner's financial resources.Item Evaluation of the National Human Trafficking Hotline: Contactor help seeking and hotline response brief(RTI International, 2023-12) Feeney, Hannah; Charm, Samantha; Hardison Walters, Jennifer; Krieger, KathleenThe 2016–2021 evaluation of the National Human Trafficking Hotline (NHTH) was conducted by RTI International through a contract from the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation (OPRE), Administration for Children and Families (ACF), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), in collaboration with ACF’s Office on Trafficking in Persons (OTIP). The overall purpose of this project was to develop and execute an evaluation of the NHTH, with the following specific objectives of the evaluation: Describe the activities, procedures, and organization of the NHTH, including staff training, staff capacity, and service delivery. Describe the customer service of the NHTH. Describe the immediate outcomes of the NHTH, specifically regarding experiences of contactors. This brief provides detailed information on help-seeking behavior from individuals accessing the National Human Trafficking Hotline (NHTH), including what types of help they seek, what help they receive, and how NHTH staff interact with contactors.Item Report on Indicators of School Crime and Safety: 2021(Institute of Education Sciences and the Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2022-06) Irwin, Véronique; Wang, Ke; Cui, Jiashan; Thompson, AlexandraThis report covers a variety of topics on school crime and safety. It first examines different types of student victimization, including violent deaths and school shootings, nonfatal criminal victimization, and bullying victimization. Then, the report presents data on measures of school conditions—such as discipline problems, gangs, hate-related speech, possession of weapons, and use and availability of illegal drugs—as well as data that reflect student perceptions about their personal safety at school. This report wraps up the discussion on crime and safety issues at the elementary and secondary level by examining the percentages of teachers who reported having been threatened or attacked by their students. (Author text)