Office For Victims Of Crime Research Articles

Compounding Institutional Exclusion and Harm: A case study of federally funded Alaskan anti-trafficking service providers

Federal funds for human trafficking victim programmes and services in the United States have increased from approximately USD 10 million in 2002 to more than USD 90 million in 2022. This increase in fund availability, however, has not necessarily translated into meaningful or accessible services for trafficking survivors. This paper examines the distribution of Department of Justice anti-trafficking funds through the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), particularly looking at OVC recipients in Alaska. It highlights certain trends in OVC funding in the state, including changes in funding distribution, the emphasis on task force creation and collaboration between service providers and law enforcement, and discussions of equity and inclusion. The paper further explores institutional mechanisms of exclusion and harm of some victims, complexities in collaborating with law enforcement, criminalisation of trafficking survivors, and criteria to qualify for services. As the reality faced by trafficking survivors does not always align with OVC narratives, these mechanisms are illustrated through the experiences of a sex trafficking survivor who has been turned away as not qualifying for services by many of the OVC funded providers in Alaska. The paper concludes by exploring the implications of this research for policymakers and service providers.

Creating a Collaborative Trauma-Informed Interdisciplinary Citywide Victim Services Model Focused on Health Care for Survivors of Human Trafficking.

Although human trafficking is recognized as a public health issue, research on the health effects of human trafficking and best intervention practices is limited. We describe 2 citywide collaborative victim services models, the THRIVE (Trafficking, Healthcare, Resources, and Interdisciplinary Victim Services and Education) Clinic at the University of Miami and Jackson Health System in Miami, Florida, and the Greater Houston Area Pathways for Advocacy-based, Trauma-Informed Healthcare (PATH) Collaborative at Baylor College of Medicine, CommonSpirit Health, and San Jose Clinic in Houston, Texas, funded in part by the Office for Victims of Crime, which focus on trauma-informed health care delivery for victims of human trafficking. From June 2015 through September 2021, the THRIVE Clinic served 214 patients with an average age of 28.7 years at the time of their first visit. From October 2017 through September 2021, the PATH Collaborative received 560 suspected trafficking referrals, 400 of which screened positive for labor or sex trafficking. These models serve as a framework for replication of interdisciplinary practices to provide health care for this unique population and preliminary information about the strategies put in place to assist victims during their recovery. Key lessons include the importance of a citywide needs assessment, patient navigators, interdisciplinary care, and building community partnerships to ensure safe housing, transportation, identification, health insurance, vocation services, input from survivors, peer-to-peer mentorship, and medical-legal services. Further research is needed to understand the detrimental health effects of trafficking and the health care needs of victims. In addition, a need exists to develop optimal models of care for recovery and reintegration for this patient population and to address public health, legal, and medical policies to ensure access to and sustainability of comprehensive, trauma-informed, interdisciplinary victim services.

A Direct Reporting Platform for Financial Exploitation: From Banks to APS

Despite encouraging changes in regulations and practices, opportunities remain to strengthen the collaboration between Financial Services Institutions (FSI) and Financial Exploitation (FE) investigative agencies such as Adult Protective Services (APS). A major barrier to these collaborations is timely and effective information exchange, between the agencies, for maximizing client protection. Often times, the need for more information from the agencies involved delays or mitigates the provision of financial protection to the client/victim. Through the U.S. Office for Victims of Crime, funding has been provided to develop a single reporting platform for enhancing communication and collaboration between FSI and APS. The helpful platform provides an innovative conduit for providing timely and effective information exchange between FSI and APS agencies to better serve and protect older adults against FE. This presentation will discuss the platform development, the lessons learned, preliminary data and future research. Part of a symposium sponsored by Abuse, Neglect and Exploitation of Elderly People Interest Group.

Lessons from the field: An evidence-informed resiliency model for child abuse organizations

BackgroundChild abuse organizations are keenly aware of the impact helping abused and neglected children has on the people who do that work. In their efforts to address this issue, they look to their colleagues for recommendations on what works. Of particular value is testimony from those who have used evidence-informed programs to mitigate the impact on staff, so services to children do not suffer. Objective, participants and setting, resultsThe Resiliency Project provided that evidence-informed program, one that was developed for and by the child abuse field in 2009. With funding from the Office for Victims of Crime, The University of Texas at Austin team of researchers, educators and practitioners developed the Organizational Resiliency Model (ORM) specifically for the child abuse field. The model draws from research on strengths individuals who are resilient have, and offers strategies for organizations to use to build resiliency in their staff. The ORM was piloted with 24 leaders from the field, including children's advocacy centers (CACs); court-appointed special advocate (CASA) programs; and government-based child welfare agencies. This article reviews the research basis for the ORM and new research supporting the model, and offers lessons learned through structured interviews with 10 child abuse leaders who piloted the ORM and continue to use it ten years later. ConclusionsUsing the ORM, based on evidence available at the time, supported by new research and attested to by child abuse leaders who have sustained the model in their organizations, can promote a healthy and resilient workforce.

Laying the Foundation for the National TeleNursing Center: Integration of the Quality-Caring Model Into TeleSANE Practice.

In 2012, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Program was awarded a grant from the Department of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime, to pilot the use of telemedicine technology to extend the reach of SANE expertise to six diverse communities across the United States. To meet the goals of this project, the National TeleNursing Center (NTC) developed a three-phase professional practice model integrating the Quality-Caring Model (QCM) to support the delivery of NTC teleSANE services. Using the QCM as a foundation for teleSANE practice ensures that patients experiencing a recent sexual assault who participate in teleSANE encounters receive quality forensic nursing care. In this article, we briefly review elements of the QCM, describe the application of the model to the NTC Professional Practice Model, and detail how teleSANEs integrate the QCM Caring Behaviors into all three phases of its model. The NTC Professional Practice Model provides a quality-based teleSANE model that may be translatable to other areas of telenursing practice.

A University Partnership for Victim Service Professional Development: Model Standards for Serving Victims and Survivors of Crime

This paper describes processes and products of a partnership to promote professionalization of the field of victim services. The National Victim Assistance Standards Consortium was established by the federal Office for Victims of Crime in partnership with the University of South Carolina. The Consortium reached across geographic, philosophical, and disciplinary divides to forge a common ground in professional development, including a definition and mission for the field as well as three sets of model standards for serving victims and survivors. The project included a review of literature on victim services, town hall meetings across the country, and layered review and refinement of standards by approximately 50 professionals working at the local, state, and national levels. The online document, Achieving Excellence: Model Standards for Serving Victims & Survivors of Crime, will provide standards for promoting competence and ethical integrity as well as quality and consistency of service.

The Impact of Drug Market Pulling Levers Policing on Neighborhood Violence

Criminology & Public PolicyVolume 11, Issue 2 p. 167-199 RESEARCH ARTICLE† The Impact of Drug Market Pulling Levers Policing on Neighborhood Violence An Evaluation of the High Point Drug Market Intervention Nicholas Corsaro, Nicholas Corsaro University of CincinnatiSearch for more papers by this authorEleazer D. Hunt, Eleazer D. Hunt High Point Police DepartmentSearch for more papers by this authorNatalie Kroovand Hipple, Natalie Kroovand Hipple Michigan State UniversitySearch for more papers by this authorEdmund F. McGarrell, Edmund F. McGarrell Michigan State UniversitySearch for more papers by this author Nicholas Corsaro, Nicholas Corsaro University of CincinnatiSearch for more papers by this authorEleazer D. Hunt, Eleazer D. Hunt High Point Police DepartmentSearch for more papers by this authorNatalie Kroovand Hipple, Natalie Kroovand Hipple Michigan State UniversitySearch for more papers by this authorEdmund F. McGarrell, Edmund F. McGarrell Michigan State UniversitySearch for more papers by this author First published: 02 May 2012 https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9133.2012.00798.xCitations: 64 This project was supported by Grant 2008-DD-BX-0338 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, and the Office for Victims of Crime. The points of view or opinions in this document are those of the authors and do not represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. We would like to thank the anonymous reviewers, Philip Cook, Rod Brunson, Cynthia Lum, and Daniel Nagin for their thoughtful suggestions and feedback throughout the various phases of this study. Direct correspondence to Nicholas Corsaro, School of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati, 637 Dyer Hall, Clifton Avenue, P.O. Box 210389, Cincinnati, OH 45221 (e-mail: [email protected]). HIGH POINT DRUG MARKET INTERVENTION Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Citing Literature Volume11, Issue2May 2012Pages 167-199 RelatedInformation

Human Trafficking Victims and Their Children: Assessing Needs, Vulnerabilities, Strengths, and Survivorship.

This project was supported by Grant Number 2006-VT-BX-K006 awarded to Refugee Services of Texas, Inc. by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view in this document are those of the authors and interview subjects and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. This project was also supported by Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault at the The University of Texas at Austin, School of Social Work. The authors wish to give a big thanks to staff of Refugee Services of Texas and American Gateways in Austin, Texas and the research participants.

Office for Victims of Crime

Office for Victims of Crime

Access to Justice: An SLP’s Guide to Helping Persons with Complex Communication Needs Voice Their Case

Access to Justice: An SLP’s Guide to Helping Persons with Complex Communication Needs Voice Their Case

Postterrorism services for victims and surviving family members: Lessons from Pan Am 103

This study presents the findings of a services utilization and satisfaction survey of surviving family members of the Pan Am 103 (Lockerbie, Scotland) bombing. The goals of this study were to evaluate satisfaction with services provided; to gather information from surviving family members about experiences that might be expected to affect satisfaction; to estimate the psychological, physical, and financial impact of the homicide on surviving family members; to obtain recommendations regarding how services can be improved; and to solicit opinions regarding needs for future services. Participants were surviving family members who were interviewed twice using telephone interviews, once prior to completion of the criminal trial and again 7 weeks after the verdict. Results indicated that many surviving family members suffered from considerable problems associated with the loss of their loved ones. However, families found services provided by the United States Office for Victims of Crime, such as information about the court process, to be helpful. Finally, participants made specific recommendations for the improvement of services, including greater emotional support.

Highlights of the first National Sexual Assault Response Team Training Conference

A successful First National Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Training Conference has been held in San Antonio, Tex. This Conference was sponsored by the Sexual Assault Resource Service in Minneapolis and the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) of the Department of Justice. Six hundred seventy-two persons attended, including 236 sexual assault nurse examiners (SANEs)—the most highly represented SART discipline—followed closely by advocates, 210 of whom attended. Space at the Conference sold out months ahead of time.

The clinical care and documentation for victims of drug-facilitated sexual assault

Sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) roles and concerns related to drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) changed significantly on January 1, 2000, as a result of the abrupt termination of the free drug testing program at ElSohly Laboratory paid for by Hoffman LeRoche. Although ElSohly Laboratory continues to complete the urine analysis for DFSA cases, the $800 charge must now be paid by the organization sending the specimen. Unprepared for the termination of this service, SANEs, law enforcement, and advocate programs across the United States scrambled to establish alternative options. Concerned with the impact of the growing problem of DFSA, the Office for Victims of Crime of the Department of Justice sponsored a DFSA forum in June 2000, bringing together experts in the field to respond to an issues paper and make recommendations for new directions. 1 Ledray LE. Drug-facilitated sexual assault issues and concerns [special bulletin]. Washington (DC): Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, US Department of Justice. In press. Google Scholar This article will discuss current DFSA issues, concerns, and recommendations.

Robbing the Rich to Feed the Poor?

The somewhat provocative title of this essay refers to the possibility that under the Crime Victims Fund administered by United States Department of Justice Office for Victims of Crime, victims of federal crimes might go without full compensation for the harm they've suffered, while assets seized from their offenders are channeled to a different group of people altogether: victims of state crimes. Since 1985, over 2 billion dollars in fines, asset forfeitures, and other special assessments--generated mostly by white collar, corporate crime--have been deposited into the Crime Victims Fund. This money in turn supports federal courts as well as programs to compensate and assist victims of state law crimes, principally rape, domestic abuse, child abuse, and child sexual abuse. While the recipients of these benefits--many in under-served rural areas and inner-city neighborhoods--are clearly deserving of such assistance, this article raises the possibility that some federal crime victims are getting lost in the shuffle. The article explains the circumstances which might give rise to this redistribution from federal to state crime victims. It also proposes modest changes in the language and implementation of the restitution statute to protect federal victims from such losses.

Will the “Victim Revolution” Trigger A Reorientation of the Criminal Justice System?

Over the past two decades considerable interest has developed in the subject of the victims of crime. This interest reached a peak in the United States in 1982 with the establishment and report of the President's Task Force on Victims of Crime, which made numerous recommendations for legislative, executive, and other institutional action on both the Federal and State levels, including an amendment to the United States Constitution. The momentum, however, continued. Subsequent developments have included the establishment of an Office for Victims of Crime in the Office of Justice Programs, a flurry of legislative activity across the nation, and the declaration of National Victims' Rights Weeks with the participation of the U.S. President. The interests of victims have been taken up not only by special organizations established for the purpose, such as the National Organization of Victims' Assistance (NOVA), the Victims' Assistance Legal Organization in Virginia, and the National Victim Center (founded in honor of Sunny von Bulow) — as well as more narrowly focussed groups such as MADD (Mothers against Drunk Driving), but also by such mainstream professional bodies as the American Bar Association, the National Association of Attorneys General, the National Conference of the Judiciary, the American Psychological Association, and the National Institute for Mental Health.