Sexual Assault Victim Advocacy in Corrections Project: Improving Access to Community-Based Advocates for Victims of Sexual Assault in Jails, Community Confinement, and Juvenile Detention

The National Field-Generated Training, Technical Assistance, and Demonstration Projects Program addresses demonstrated gaps in training or technical assistance or in the knowledge base of victim service practitioners nationwide. The aim of the program is to enhance the provision of services and support to crime victims to further ensure that all victims are afforded the rights to which they are due. All initiatives are national in scope and focus on improving the capacity of victim service providers and allied practitioners in advancing rights and services for crime victims in the areas of child pornography; drunk and impaired driving; mortgage fraud; sexual assault within correctional settings; coordinated state-tribal crime victim services; long-term mental health and other consequences of mass violence; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer/questioning (LGBTQ) crime victims access to mainstream victim services; services for young male victims of color; or using technology to improve and enhance victim services.

Vera Institute of Justice will implement a demonstration project which will connect adult and juvenile victims of corrections-based sexual assault with community-based sexual assault victim advocates. Vera will partner with the Johnson County Sheriff's Office, the Johnson County Department of Corrections, and the Metropolitan Organization to Counter Sexual Assault (MOCSA), all located outside of Kansas City, Kansas. Since the passage of PREA, most efforts to address sexual assault in confinement have been focused on prisons. This project attempts to address this gap by connecting victim advocates with sexual assault victims in the local jail, the residential work release program, and the juvenile detention center. In year one of the project, Vera will facilitate the establishment of a formal relationship between the MOCSA and the three correctional facilities in Johnson County, as well as develop a training curriculum for corrections practicioners and community-based advocates on victim-centered care to victims of corrections-based sexual assault. In year two, Vera will implement the victim advocacy program for victims of corrections-based sexual assault at the three demonstration sites. In the final year of the project, Vera will develop a toolkit for jails, community confinement facilities, and juvenile detention centers on how to work with community-based sexual assault victim advocates. This toolkit will document the demonstration project and provide model policies, curricula, and MOUs for jurisdictions to use in establishing similar relationships within their local community.

ca/ncf