Victims of Crime

The Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) Team is hosting the Enhancing Conviction Integrity through Forensics Panel Discussions. The SAKI website currently hosts the Enhancing Conviction Integrity through Forensics web page, which includes pre-recorded webinars and other training materials.

Hosted by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), this webinar will provide details and guidance for potential applicants to BJA’s Emmett Till Cold Case Investigations and Training and Technical Assistance Program solicitation. This program supports efforts of state, local and tribal law enforcement and prosecutors and their partner to investigate, prosecute and resolve and support those impacted by unsolved homicides involving civil rights violations that occurred prior to December 31, 1979. This year, BJA added a category for national training and technical as

Impact Justice, with support from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, manages The National Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Resource Center (PRC). The PRC helps state, local, and tribal agencies to implement PREA standards. The PRC also supports the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) audit function.

Join the International Association of Chiefs of Police for their free, five-part “Enhancing the Law Enforcement Response to Violence Against Women” training series. These interactive trainings are “designed to enhance the capacity of law enforcement when responding to and investigating crimes of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and strangulation.” Participants will be expected to actively participate in group discussion via webcam.

On November 20, 2020, at 3:30 p.m. ET, the Office for Victims of Crime Training and Technical Assistance Center will present an online Expert Q&A discussion with Sarah Deer and Peggy Bird on "Supporting Indigenous Victims of Violence."

DNA is often touted as the “gold standard” of crime scene evidence. In this session, presenters will explore the science behind DNA, DNA-associated evidence types (what we can/can’t process), the methods used to process this type of evidence, and challenges associated with both methods and interpretation of results. This web event is hosted by the Zero Abuse Project in conjunction with the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention’s National Training and Technical Assistance Center.

Examine the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and substance use, with an emphasis on research specific to tribal communities and youth. Discuss the confounding effects of social economic factors and ethnicity-based differences in prevalence rates. Review culturally enhanced treatment options for ACEs. Explore specific strategies for caregivers, prevention specialists, treatment providers, criminal justice professionals, and community members. Upon completion of this webinar, participants will be able to: 

• Summarize research on the prevalence of ACEs among Native American/Alaska Native youth. 
• Explain the relationship between social economic factors, ethnicity-based differences, and prevalence rates. 
• Identify culturally-enhanced treatment options for ACEs.
• Describe specific strategies to increase positive outcomes for youth impacted by ACEs.

Advocacy for survivors of Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) requires an understanding of the dynamics and tactics of IPV. This understanding is also necessary for advocacy for social change to end domestic violence. This webinar will provide an overview of the root causes of domestic violence in Indigenous communities. It will also explain the dynamics and tactics of IPV from a survivor’s perspective.

Join TA2TA on September 21, 2020 for their free law enforcement training on “Police Report Writing in Tribal Domestic and Sexual Violence Cases.” Dr. James D. Diamond, Dean of Academic Affairs at the National Tribal Trial College, will provide practical tips on documenting witness and suspect statements, overcoming hearsay, and diagramming the crime scene to increase successful prosecution and conviction rates. This one-hour course is sponsored by the U.S.

Join TA2TA for their “Police Report Writing in Tribal Domestic and Sexual Assault Cases” webinar on September 21, 2020 at 12:00–1:00 p.m. ET. Attendees will learn “practical tips on documenting witness and suspect statements, overcoming hearsay, and diagramming the crime scene to increase successful prosecution and conviction rates.”  

This webinar is intended for individuals serving American Indian/Alaska Native survivors of sexual violence.