Posted on

Writing it Right: Documenting Human Trafficking

One specific responsibility of law enforcement and prosecutors working on human trafficking cases is to write various reports, affidavits, and briefs that effectively document incidents of sex and labor trafficking. It is crucial for these documents to accurately reflect complex trafficking dynamics and case-specific facts to establish probable cause and effectively litigate issues at trial. When law enforcement and prosecutors collaborate with others, including those with lived experience, they are better equipped to successfully articulate how traffickers use a variety of overt and subtle tactics to exploit victims—thus establishing the element(s) of force, fraud, and/or coercion necessary for cases involving adult victims.

This presentation focuses on the core competencies needed by law enforcement and prosecutors to establish the elements of human trafficking. Additionally, facilitators discuss the necessity of protecting victim privacy and ensuring that public records and press releases accurately describe trafficking dynamics. In combination with other external messaging, this documentation can help educate the public—and potential jurors—about the realities of trafficking.

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

• Effectively document traffickers’ actions to establish the elements of force, fraud, or coercion;

• Articulate the realities of human trafficking when communicating with the media and the public; and

• Ethically protect victim and witness safety in the public record.

Posted on

Advancing Justice: Interviewing and Presenting Testimony of Witnesses to Violent Crimes

Presenters: Patricia D. Powers, AEquitas Attorney Advisor and Dr. Rebecca Campbell, Professor of Psychology at Michigan State

This presentation discusses the impact of trauma on victims of violent crimes in cold and current cases, and explore practice-based research to assist allied professional in helping victims access and describe their experience. Emphasis is placed on integrating a trauma-informed response from the first contact with a victim or renewed contact in a cold case, through the conclusion of the case.

Posted on

Advancing Justice: Interviewing and Presenting Testimony of Victims of Violent Crimes

Victims are impacted by violent crimes in a myriad of ways. Although there are commonalities, each victim’s response to trauma is unique to that individual. In order to support victim engagement throughout the criminal justice process, allied professionals must interact with victims in ways that consider the physical and emotional effects of trauma as well as the impact of COVID-19.  Interviewers and prosecutors presenting victim testimony at trial must understand common responses to trauma and how they may affect a victim’s ability to recall and recount details of their experience of a violent crime.
 
This presentation discusses the impact of trauma on victims of violent crimes in cold and current cases and explore research and practice-based information to assist allied professionals in helping victims to access and describe their experience. Emphasis is placed on integrating a trauma-informed response from the first contact with a victim or renewed contact in a cold case, through the conclusion of the case.

This webinar is presented by Patricia D. Powers, Attorney Advisor with AEquitas, and Dr. Rebecca Campbell, Professor of Psychology at Michigan State University. 

Posted on

Advancing Justice With DNA Technologies

Advancing Justice With DNA Technologies will be presented by Patricia D. Powers, Attorney Advisor with AEquitas, and Misty Marra Williamson, DNA Analyst and DNA Laboratory Coordinator at the Marshall University Forensic Science Center on Wednesday, July 28th from 2:00 PM – 3:30 PM ET. Doors will open at 1:55 PM ET. 

This webinar explores the capabilities of STR and Y-STR testing, the use of CODIS for familial searching when authorized, and the use of public databases for FGG searches. The presenters also explore legal issues with collecting abandoned DNA to compare with extant DNA in FGG searches, as well as the effective presentation of investigatory evidence at trial.

Posted on

Q&A Session with USCIS U Visa Policy Experts

Join the National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project (NIWAP) for a Question and Answer Session with USCIS U visa Policy Experts , including AEquitas Attorney Advisor Jane Anderson, as they answer questions about the current state of the U Visa program and certification.

Please note, this roundtable is exclusively available to law enforcement, prosecutors, and victim advocates that work with these agencies and you must register in advance.

Posted on

Maximizing Justice: Building a Prosecution Review Process

Justice can be measured and achieved in a variety of ways. In human trafficking cases, there are a number of avenues to justice—and it is paramount to consider both a victim’s perception of justice and law enforcement’s objective to maximize offender accountability. Determining the most effective route to justice requires knowledge of each avenue and the unique statutes, policies, and procedures that shape them.

During this webinar, participants are introduced to, “Maximizing Justice: Building a Prosecution Review Process.” This resource supports prosecutors and allied professionals in identifying the most effective route to prosecute traffickers. The discussion highlights how task forces can use this process to conduct investigations more effectively, make charging decisions, support victims, and ultimately proceed to trial.

Posted on

Criminal Justice from the Child’s Perspective: Supporting Child Victims & Witnesses

Interacting with the criminal legal system can be confusing, overwhelming and even retraumatizing for children and teens. However, through the Center for Court Innovation’s Child Witness Materials Development Project, a package of interactive, developmentally-informed educational materials has been created to facilitate effective and trauma-informed support for children involved in state, federal, and tribal court systems as victims and witnesses of crime. 

In this webinar, participants learn about how children and teens experience the criminal legal system; best practices in educating, preparing, and supporting children through this experience as a practitioner; and how these new court support materials can be used to mitigate trauma by helping children to feel more informed, empowered, and less distressed when navigating this system.

Posted on

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.

Posted on

First, Do No Harm: Trauma-Informed Interviewing

Traumatic crimes can impact victims in any number of ways, some obvious and some less so. Moreover, each victim’s response to trauma is unique to that individual. In order to keep victims safe and engaged throughout the criminal justice process, law enforcement and first responders must interact with victims in ways that consider the physical and emotional effects of trauma. Interviewers must understand more common responses to trauma that result from these effects and appreciate the impact of trauma on the victim’s ability to recall and recount details of the traumatic event.

This presentation identifies barriers to successful interviews and explores techniques for overcoming them. The presenter explains how a traditional fact-gathering approach to interviewing can be counterproductive or even harmful to the victim and to the investigation. Alternative approaches to interviewing and questioning are identified and analyzed for their potential to minimize re-traumatization and enhance our ability to recreate the reality of the crime at trial. An emphasis is placed on integrating a trauma-informed response from the first contact with a victim through the conclusion of the case, with realistic goals for interviews and meetings at every stage of the process.

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

– Use open-ended and sensory questions

– Apply an ask and explain methodology

– Offer victims options and information for connecting with community resources

– Implement trauma-informed strategies that enhance victim safety and participation