Victims of Crime

Supported by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center recently published a brief that highlights ways in which clinicians can support mental health and criminal justice collaborations using the Sequential Intercept Model (SIM). According to Policy Research Associates, the SIM identifies six intercepts of the criminal justice system including, community services, law enforcement, initial detention or initial court hearings, jails or courts, reentry, and community supervisions.

This month, the National Institute of Justice published a report based on a review and rating by CrimeSolutions of multiple meta-analyses. Substance use disorders, which include substance dependence and abuse, have a tremendous impact on individuals, families, and communities. For patients, trauma-informed care offers the opportunity to engage more fully in their health care, develop a trusting relationship with their provider, and improve long-term health outcomes.

This month, the National Institute of Justice issued an evaluation of a limited study on ten state-based task forces using the Enhanced Collaborative Model (ECM) to Combat Human Trafficking launched in 2010. Due to its complex nature, human trafficking crimes are difficult to detect thereby creating significant barriers for disruption. Many jurisdictions also struggle to identify crimes for both sex and labor trafficking because of varied understandings or limited knowledge of the root causes.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) recently developed a comprehensive fact sheet on BJA grant funding resources that address hate crimes, crimes that impact civil rights, and other bias-motivated and hate incidents. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is committed to advancing work that promotes civil rights, increasing access to justice, supporting crime victims, protecting the public from crime and evolving threats, and building trust between law enforcement and the community.

The National Institute of Justice recently released a research brief authored by Katherine Scafide, Ph.D. and other colleagues investigating alternate and more suitable light sources to traditional options for bruise detection in violent crime cases such as domestic violence and sexual assault. Inaccurate documentation of injuries can be detrimental to the victim’s legal case against their attacker as well as to the victim’s medical treatment.

This month, the Bureau of Justice Assistance released a brief on the Law Enforcement-Mental Health Learning Site program developed by the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center that offers national resources to law enforcement and behavioral health agencies seeking to tailor response models and implementation strategies to their individual community’s needs.

This month, the Vera Institute of Justice (Vera) released its annual report celebrating their 60-year anniversary and library of work to transform justice systems, end overcriminalization, and reduce mass incarceration of people of color, immigrants, and people experiencing poverty. Supported by the U.S.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance released a "Prison Industry Enhancement Certification Program (PIECP) Compliance Guide" this month to offer support to PIECP certification holders. First instituted in 1979, the PIECP encourages state and local governments to create work opportunities in prisons that aim to place justice-involved individuals in real-world environments that encourage meaningful employment opportunities upon release.

This past November, the Council of State Governments Justice Center in collaboration with the National Police Foundation published “Creating Buy-In: Best Practices for Collaborating with Referral Sources for Crisis Stabilization Units.” Crisis stabilization units (CSU) provide law enforcement officers and mobile crisis teams a safe space to bring individuals during a behavioral health crisis. Buy-in from referral sources, particularly law enforcement agencies, is crucial to ensuring that people are suitably connected to the appropriate CSU.

In September, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention released an analysis conducted by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s (NCMEC) Infant Abductions Program. Often, the most challenging task at hand upon the receipt of a missing child report is identifying the key factors surrounding the case. This crucial assessment of the initial facts will determine what actions the responding law enforcement agency will perform.