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First, Do No Harm: Facilitating a Trauma-Informed Response

Trauma is a direct result of the abuse and exploitation that offenders inflict on victims of intimate partner violence and sexual assault. This acute trauma, often compounded with historical trauma, impacts survivor’s ability to fully participate in the criminal justice process. As a result, a collaborative, trauma-informed response that takes historical context into consideration is essential to ensuring survivor access to justice while improving community safety.

This presentation describes various forms of trauma that victims may experience throughout their lives and as a result of an offender’s victimization. Presenters define cultural humility as a key element of a successful trauma-informed response that improves our individual, collective, and systematic responses to survivors. Additionally, the presenters provide strategies to identify, document, and introduce evidence of trauma to improve case outcomes and community safety by holding offenders accountable.

At the conclusion of this training, participants will be better able to:

• Identify signs and symptoms of trauma, and implement trauma-informed practices

• Enhance victim safety, privacy, autonomy, and participation through collaboration with allied professionals

• Practice cultural humility while preparing cases to proceed, regardless of a victim’s ability to participate in the process

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Identifying the Predominant Aggressor and Evaluating Lethality

Every year, 3-4 million women in the U.S. are abused and 1,500-1,600 are killed by their abusers. One challenge, for first responders to a domestic disturbance where both parties are injured, is identifying the predominant aggressor. Police and prosecutors must also be able to determine the level of danger facing a victim. Several factors are associated with an increased risk of homicide in domestic violence relationships. While we cannot predict what will happen in a particular case, danger assessments can help determine the risk that a victim faces, enabling us to better prioritize our efforts and support the victim.

This presentation emphasizes the importance of contextual analysis in evaluating criminal responsibility at the arrest, charging, pre-trial, and sentencing phases. Such analysis will help to ensure that the dynamics of domestic violence are properly factored into decisions about arrest, charging, plea negotiations, and sentencing, and will enhance the quality of justice for those who have been victims of abuse. The presentation also discusses the importance of danger assessments and best practices in lethality evaluation.

At the conclusion of this presentation participants will be better able to:
– Evaluate the context within which an act of violence occurs.
– Overcome batterer manipulation of the justice system.
– Identify risk and lethality factors.

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2018 SAKI TTA East Coast Regional Training: Strengthening Your Multidisciplinary Response to Sexual Assault

AEquitas Attorney Advisor Jonathan Kurland presented “Creating a Comprehensive Victim-Centered Prosecution Strategy,” “Establishing Successful Procedures: CODIS Hit Prioritization, No CODIS Hit, Maintaining Engagement” and “Consent Cases: Challenges and Overcoming Them” on behalf of RTI International in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina to an audience of dual sexual assault/domestic violence program staff, lab analysts, law enforcement officers, and prosecutors.

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Tender Years Testimony Training

AEquitas Attorney Advisor Jonathan Kurland presented “Tender Years Testimony, Hearsay Exceptions, and Forfeiture by Wrongdoing” on behalf of the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to an audience of child advocates and prosecutors.

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Legal Jiu-Jitsu for Prosecutors in Intimate Partner Violence Cases: Forfeiture by Wrongdoing

Jiu-jitsu is a Japanese martial art that does not depend on the use of size or strength to defeat an opponent. Instead, it employs a variety of tactical moves to prevail by turning the force of an attack against the attacker. Prosecutors in domestic violence cases have a similar art at their disposal to counter confrontation challenges in the common scenario where the offender has intimidated, tricked, manipulated, paid off, killed, or otherwise arranged for the victim to be absent from the trial, leaving the prosecution with only the victim’s out-of-court statements to prove the case.

Legal Jiu-Jitsu for Prosecutors in IPV Cases – Forfeiture by WrongdoingDownload
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Protection Order Practice for Prosecutors and Law Enforcement

AEquitas Attorney Advisor Teresa Garvey and SPARC Director Jennifer Landhuis presented on topics including but not limited to, recognizing stalking, threat assessment, domestic violence related firearm prohibitions, overcoming the consent defense, and pre-trial release on behalf of the National Center on Protection Orders and Full Faith & Credit 

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Advanced Cold Case Investigation and Prosecution Workshop

AEquitas Attorney Advisors Jonathan Kurland and Patricia Powers served as faculty facilitators on behalf of RTI International in Washington, D.C. and delivered a series of presentations, including but not limited to, “Victim-Centered Case Resolution,” “Cognitive Interviewing for Cold Case Prosecutions,” and “Offender Focused Investigation and Prosecution” to an audience of law enforcement officers and prosecutors.