APRI Highlights - Spring 2002

Violence Against Woman Program

Lisa Kreeger, Director and Senior Attorney

The Violence Against Women (VAW) Program started 2002 with a busy January and plans for a busy year. The attorneys of the VAW Program hosted a meeting the first week of January to review the Understanding Sexual Violence: Prosecuting Adult Rape and Sexual Assault Cases curriculum with our collaborators from the National Judicial Education Program. The revised program was put to the test on February 5-8, 2002, in Mesquite, Nevada, with support from the Nevada Coalition Against Sexual Violence, the Nevada Prosecution Advisory Council, the Nevada District Attorneys’ Association, and the Nevada Attorney General’s Office.

This program focuses on non-stranger adult sexual assault, which comprises the vast majority of adult rapes committed in the United States. The curriculum helps prosecutors understand and dispel rape myths by educating them about the neurobiological and physical trauma a rape victim experiences. The participants learn about sexual assault forensic examinations and watch part of a videotaped rape examination. The latest research about serial and undetected rapists is provided as well, along with information about what prosecutors should look for in sex offender treatment programs.

The FBI graciously donates the time of two scientists to this program. A toxicologist addresses issues surrounding drug-facilitated sexual assault, and a DNA analyst speaks about the science of DNA and DNA testimony in the courtroom. The remainder of the faculty, all experienced sexual assault prosecutors, are present throughout the program to provide advice regarding the ethical considerations surrounding sexual assault, effective evidence presentation, and strategies for overcoming vicarious trauma, or burnout, from this difficult subject matter.

The next Understanding Sexual Violence: Prosecuting Adult Rape and Sexual Assault Cases programs are scheduled for Champaign, Illinois, in April, Utah in August, and Tennessee in November.

The Violence Against Women Program has also scheduled several domestic violence programs for the coming year in partnership with the Battered Women’s Justice Program. In 2002, APRI will conduct training on Stalking and Cyberstalking, Cultural and Immigration Issues in Domestic Violence, Rural Domestic Violence Issues, a Leadership Summit, and a new course, Basic DV.

The Basic Domestic Violence course is intended for prosecutors newly assigned to domestic violence units or cases. The emphasis will be on helping the newer prosecutor to understand the dynamics of domestic violence and to learn techniques for evidence-based prosecution, so that cases can go forward even when the victim cannot or will not cooperate with the prosecution. We hope to make this new program a regular feature at APRI, offered several times a year.