Free Elder Abuse Webinar Series
On January 31, 2012, at 2:00 pm (ET) the National Institute of Justice and Government Innovators Network are sponsoring the next discussion in the Elder Abuse Webinar Series on Building a Risk Assessment Tool for the N.H. Bureau of Elderly and Adult Services. This Webinar will examine the complex issue of researching an older population, and how a truly innovative partnership among state adult protective services agencies, a national association, and criminal-justice researchers is overcoming the challenges.
Join moderator, Andy Mao, Senior Counsel for Health Care Fraud and Elder Justice, U.S. Department of Justice, and the following panelists—
Visit the series Web page to register for this free webinar and view transcripts and slides from past webinars.
Key Findings From Survey on Sexual Violence, Stalking, and Intimate Partner Violence
On December 14, 2011, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released The National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS) 2010 Summary Report. The findings show that, on average, 24 people per minute are victims of rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner in the United States. Over the course of a year, that equals more than 12 million women and men. Those numbers only tell part of the story—more than 1 million women reported being raped, and over 6 million women and men were a victim of stalking.
Visit the CDC Web site to download the NISVS report and related materials, including:
A CDC press release, Sexual Violence, Stalking, and Intimate Partner Violence Widespread in the U.S., also provides highlights from the report.
See It, Know It, Report It—An Anti-Human Trafficking Campaign in NYC
Recognizing the great cause of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, in 2011, the New York City Mayor’s Office launched part of their "Let’s Call an End to Human Trafficking" initiative at the Bronx Family Justice Center. The initiative includes—
At the initiative’s launch, they honored survivors of crime, promoted victims’ rights, and recognized community partners for their tireless advocacy on victims’ behalf. Guests included the Honorable Corinne Dettmeijer-Vermeulen, Dutch National Rapporteur on Trafficking in Human Beings, and Dr. Michael Korzinkski, Co-founding Director of the Helen Bamber Foundation.
ASC’s Annual Meeting Will Offer Special Session on Victimization
During the American Society of Criminology Annual Meeting, November 16–19, 2011, criminal justice journalists and the Justice Research and Statistics Association are hosting the Bridging the Gap between Research and Practice program on Friday, November 18 and includes—
Panelists will focus on setting research priorities and communicating results and there will be time set aside for discussion with the audience. Program details and information about other conference sessions are available in ASC’s preliminary agenda.
Representatives of practitioner groups who are coming to the conference for any of the Bridging the Gap between Research and Practice sessions may also attend ASC sessions on November 18th without paying a registration fee. However, if you want to attend any ASC sessions on any other days, you must register for ASC’s Annual Meeting.
Victim and Witness Assistance Guidelines Now Available
The Attorney General Guidelines for Victim and Witness Assistance (AG Guidelines) establish policy and provide guidance to be followed by U.S. Department of Justice personnel in their interactions with crime victims and witnesses. In 1982, Congress directed the Attorney General to promulgate the first AG Guidelines, which have been revised periodically to reflect changes in the law. Effective October 1, 2011, these revised guidelines have been updated to incorporate best practices and integrate new case law. The guidelines are organized as follows—
Download the AG Guidelines now to see how it may serve as a model for your guidelines on the fair treatment of crime victims and witnesses.
Civil Rights Conferences To Be Held in Guam and Saipan
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands will each be hosting a Civil Rights Conference, during which a Commemoration Ceremony of the 10th Anniversary of September 11 will be held. The conferences will include coverage of human trafficking laws and cases, among other civil rights topics.
This is a valuable training opportunity for members of federal and local law enforcement; victim service providers; social service providers; non-profits; faith-based community; medical, mental, and public health professionals; Consulates; and other community stakeholders.
There are no registration fees for the conference. For each conference, please RSVP to Salome Blas at salome.blas@usdoj.gov or 671-479-4144 by September 1, 2011, as seats may be limited.
New Brochure Details Rights & Remedies for Identity Theft Victims
Several federal laws protect victims of identity theft. Under the Justice for All Act, additional rights are applicable when the identity thief is being prosecuted in federal court. The Federal Trade Commission brochure, Statement of Rights for Identity Theft Victims, provides detailed information about working with credit reporting companies and communicating with debt collectors, and also provides limits on financial liability.
New Approach Launched To Reduce Tribal Alcohol and Substance Abuse
On July 29, 2011, exactly one year after President Obama signed the Tribal Law and Order Act (TLOA) into law, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Department of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, and Attorney General of the United States Eric H. Holder, Jr., entered into a Memorandum of Understanding to combat alcohol and substance abuse among American Indian/Alaska Native Tribes.
The Office of Indian Alcohol and Substance Abuse, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), will coordinate tribal substance abuse programs across the federal government with a special emphasis on promoting programs geared toward reaching youth and offering alternatives to incarceration.
Visit the SAMHSA Web site for more information about this memorandum.
Chilean Government Passes Constitutional Amendment on Victims’ Rights
(Information links point to Web site content in Spanish)
The Chilean Victims of Crimes Division is pleased to announce that the President of Chile, Sebastian Piñera, signed a Constitutional Amendment that recognizes the right of victims to criminal defense and legal advice.
The Chilean Victims of Crimes Division is an office of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Public Safety of Chile that provides free services to victims through its Centers for Assistance. The Division has 31 Centers for Assistance throughout the country that assist victims of violent crimes by utilizing psychologists, attorneys, and social workers to provide comprehensive, specialized, and professional services. Currently the Division is formulating a National Victim Assistance Policy for Chile.
The Head of the Chilean Victims of Crimes Division, Gonzalo Fuenzalida, visited Washington, D.C., on June 8-10, 2011, to meet with OVC staff and officials from other U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) agencies that provide victim assistance. Mr. Fuenzalida had the opportunity to learn about OVC and DOJ and exchange valuable experiences on achievements and challenges in providing support and assistance to victims.
Supreme Court of Oregon Issues Important Ruling for Victims' Rights
On May 27, 2011, the Supreme Court of Oregon issued a ruling that an offender had to be resentenced because the court improperly sentenced the offender without notifying the victim or giving her the opportunity to be present. The victim’s case was argued by the Oregon Crime Victims Law Center, a National Crime Victim Law Institute partner clinic.
Search VictimLaw, a comprehensive, user-friendly, online database of victims’ rights statutes, tribal laws, constitutional amendments, court rules, administrative code provisions, and case summaries of related court decisions, to locate additional information related to victims' rights.
New Blog Available on Research and Practices in Victim Services
The new Research to Practice blog from the American Society of Victimology advances the discipline of victimology by promoting evidence-based practice and by providing leadership in research and education. The blog presents digests of current research in the field in an effort to make research more accessible to practitioners. Through comments to posts, practitioners and researchers can dialogue on the subjects covered, including journal articles:
The Safe Havens Interfaith Partnership Against Domestic Violence and the National Clearinghouse on Abuse in Later Life (NCALL) have published Where Faith and Safety Meet: Faith Communities Respond to Elder Abuse, a toolkit to help domestic violence, sexual assault, and elder abuse service providers reach out to and collaborate with local faith communities.
Many older Americans turn to their faith communities when they are faced with the crisis of elder abuse. This toolkit, supported by a grant from the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice, is intended to help service providers and faith communities work together to respond more effectively to victims and survivors, and to increase access to community-based services.
To order a print copy, contact NCALL (608-255-0539) or Safe Havens (617-654-1820) directly.
December 2010
The Family Violence Prevention Center, Office of Criminal Justice Services, Ohio Department of Public Safety, has released Excellence In Advocacy: A Victim-Centered Approach to provide a basis of knowledge about working in the advocacy field and to address different topics victim advocates may encounter such as vicarious trauma, emerging issues, legal remedies and other subjects.
This manual is intended for professionals who have been working with victims of crime for 5 years or less, though it may benefit all victim advocates and other service providers. The interactive PDF is available free to download. (Posted December 2010)
October 2010
The National Association of Victim Assistance Administrators, through a grant from OVC, is seeking proposals for innovative, collaborative projects to raise awareness of victims’ rights and services during National Crime Victims’ Rights Week (NCVRW), April 10-16, 2011. The deadline for 2011 NCVRW Community Awareness Project Applications is October 22, 2010.
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