This guide describes the Building Partnerships for the Protection of Persons with Disabilities Initiative (BPI), which uses a prosecution-based multidisciplinary team approach to address abuse committed against persons with disabilities. Developed in Massachusetts, BPI links law enforcement officials, prosecutors, adult protective and human services workers, self-advocates, and others in the team approach. It has revolutionized the way to recognize, report, investigate, and prosecute crimes against victims with disabilities and is founded on a simple principle: we must ensure equal and effective access to the criminal justice system for persons with disabilities. 

As part of a pilot project, three states have already replicated BPI. Other states may use this replication guide of recommended practices, modeled on the Massachusetts BPI, to develop, implement, and successfully maintain their own multidisciplinary partnerships.