Transcript The Incidence and Prevalence of Sexual Victimization

Collaboration & Victim
Services:
The Integration of VictimCentered Strategies in the
Management of Sex Offenders
Some things to remember
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The majority of victims know their
offender.
Victims have a stake in the outcome of
the offenders’ management
(treatment, supervision, notification,
registration, etc.).
Victims have very real safety concerns.
Some things to remember
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Victim trauma may be manifesting itself.
Victims concerns relate to both themselves and
their families (i.e., Megan’s Law).
The offender likely has victims that are not
readily apparent to us. Consider:
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the rate of underreporting
the lack of visible “signs”
the number of child victims
What is a Victim-Centered
Approach?
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In traditional treatment and monitoring, the
sex offender is identified as the client.
In a victim-centered approach, victims and
the community are identified as the client.
They receive equal consideration in case
management decisions.
What is a victim-centered
approach?
It is both a philosophy
and a method of
offender
management.
Defining Success
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Is the offender still our client?
Of course!
We must be equally committed
to the success of the sex
offender.
Defining Success
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Victim and potential victim safety,
and the success of the offender, are
equally important goals.
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Offender success is defined as his or
her ability to live in the community
without perpetrating again.
A Community Response to
Sexual Violence
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The victim-centered approach is based
on the restorative justice philosophy
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Holds the offender accountable
Believes in victim and community
involvement
Focuses on restoring the health of the
victim and community
Supports restitution by the offender
Community Management
of Sex Offenders
Probation & Parole Supervision
Polygraph
Offender
Treatment
Offender
Victim/Victim Advocate
(modified “containment model”)
The Containment
Approach
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Strategies that rely on multidisciplinary
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partnerships
Holds sex offenders accountable through
internal and external controls
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Develops and implements public policies
that create consistent practices
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Utilizes quality control mechanisms
Why a Coordinated,
Collaborative Response is Vital
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The enormous scope of problem.
Inadequate response by systems
can induce increased victim
trauma.
Why a Coordinated,
Collaborative Response is Vital
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Our isolated efforts have not ended-or even put a dent in the rate of-sexual violence.
A coordinated, collaborative
response--coupled with aggressive
prevention strategies--is essential.
Key Stakeholders:
Victims and Victim
Advocates
Victim Needs in the
Supervision/Treatment Process
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Safety
Control over their own lives, which includes
control over contacts with the offender
(choices and input into key decisions)
Information (about the system, about the
offender)
Resources
Support
Ways Victims/Advocates Can be
Included in (and helpful to) Offender
Processing and Management
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Judicial process:
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Victim impact statement
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Input into the Pre-Sentence Investigation
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Input into restitution/community service
Ways Victims/Advocates Can be
Included in (and helpful to) Offender
Processing and Management
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Supervision and treatment:
 Case planning: victims/advocates can
“see” things others of us cannot!
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Information about their victimization as it
relates to understanding the offender’s
behavior and risks
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Assistance with safety planning
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Victim empathy education and awareness
Ways Victims/Advocates Can be
Included in (and helpful to) Offender
Processing and Management continued
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Community:
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Education and awareness
Roles of the Victim Advocate
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Provide support to the victim
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Information (offenders’ status, victim rights, etc.)
Access to resources
Liaison with the criminal justice system
Accompaniment
Crisis intervention as needed
Input into offender management as appropriate
Safety planning
Roles of the Victim Advocate
continued
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Work with the criminal justice system
Differences between
System and Community
Based Advocates
Court-Based Victim Advocates
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Work inside the criminal justice system (for
example, the State’s Attorney’s Office)
Work with all victims entering the system
Assist with victim impact statement
Keep victim informed of case status
Referrals
Community-Based Victim
Advocates
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Crisis counseling and advocacy
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Support groups
Support for the whole family Referrals to
community based resources for all needs
Assistance with all aspects of the
criminal justice and medical systems
(police, prosecution, court, corrections,
hospital, etc.)
Community-Based Victim
Advocates
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Confidentiality
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Lots of specialized training and
experience
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Oftentimes after hours (nights and
weekends) support is available
Ways to Reach Out to the
Advocacy Community
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Contact your local sexual assault
crisis center
Contact your local court and find
out who the court based victim
advocate is
Ways to Reach Out to the
Advocacy Community
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Meet with both community and court
based victim advocates
Get to know the roles played by each
type of advocate so you can
appropriately partner with them
Invite advocates to join you in both
policy development and case
management activities
Challenges to Anticipate
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Ideological issues
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Resistance to participating in offender
management world
Systems conflicts
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Turf battles
Understand that victims may not want to have
contact with more than one advocate for safety
and confidentiality reasons (unless they
understand the differences and how both can
help)
Challenges to Anticipate
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Resources
 Taxing cases=under resourced
agencies
 Volunteer-based organizations
Overcoming Challenges
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Don’t underestimate the power of
individual relationships
Cross-training/education
Support of one another
Outcomes and stories
Collaborative Approaches
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Victim advisory councils.
Focus groups of victims/service providers.
Training and cross-training.
Consistent information and referral.
Changing program evaluation and
performance measures to reflect victim
concerns.
“Back to Basics” for a
Victim-Centered Approach
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Involve and engage VSPs in planning
and implementation:
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Collaborate with your state sexual assault coalition
or local VSPs; to identify, contact:
www.ojp.usdoj.gov/vawo/saresources.htm
“Back to Basics” for a
Victim-Centered Approach
continued
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Identify their priorities for victims
before you identify mutual priorities:
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Ask for help in determining what a “victimcentered approach” truly means (to them).
“Back to Basics” for a VictimCentered Approach (cont.)
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Address these questions:
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How do you support victims?
How do you assess victim impact?
How do you manage offenders’
legal/financial obligations?
How do you identify victims’ safety needs
(and address them)?
How do you provide victims with important
information and referrals?
Payoffs
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Offender gains
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Better information for supervision and
treatment may lead to an increase in
successful offender outcomes
Enhanced likelihood for victim
healing
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Empowerment and control
Payoffs
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Community gains
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Awareness and education
Legislative power