Victims of Crime

On July 20^th, 2021, the Office of Violence Against Women (OVW) partnered with the Bureau of Justice Assistance to host a pre-application webinar for the National Service Line for Incarcerated Victims of Sexual Abuse Initiative. The National Service Line for Incarcerated Victims of Sexual Abuse Initiative aims to identify if a National Sexual Abuse Service Line will effectively assist correctional facilities and agencies with complying with and achieving Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) Standards.

Join AEquitas for their webinar “State, Meet Federal: Prosecuting Law Enforcement Involved Sexual Violence” on June 11, 2021 at 2:00–3:00 p.m. ET. This webinar will focus on federal jurisdictions’ reach to prosecute sexual violence by those in all levels of government, including coordinating among federal and state authorities to enhance investigations based on evidence. Presenters will also discuss three critical Federal Rules of Evidence to help build a case and corroborate a victim’s account even without physical evidence or eyewitness testimony.

Join the National Criminal Justice Training Center of Fox Valley Technical College for their webinar “Managing Sex Offender Caseloads: A Victim-Centered Approach” on Tuesday, June 15, 2021 at 2:00–3:30 p.m. ET. This webinar will focus on various topics related to balancing sex offender cases with effectively supporting victims/survivors, responding to violations, supporting strength-based practices to promote behavior change, and supporting community safety.

As part of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, the Office for Victims of Crimes recognized individuals and organizations who had performed outstanding victims’ rights services. This year, the Award for First Responders was presented to Robin Taylor of the Geauga County Sheriff’s Department in Ohio and John Guard, Chief Deputy with the Pitt County Sheriff’s Office in North Carolina, which underscores the vital role of law enforcement in supporting victims.

Join the National Criminal Justice Training Center of Fox Valley Technical College for their webinar “Neurobiology Applications for Community Supervision Professionals in Interpersonal Violence” on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 at 2:00–3:30 p.m. ET. During the webinar, participants will learn about the foundation of trauma, its impact on the brain, and how to recognize it in yourself and others. Presenters will also discuss what it means to be trauma-informed and how to help yourself and others through a trauma response. The webinar will emphasize trauma in victim/survivors and offenders.

Join the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) for their National Crime Victims' Service Awards Ceremony on Friday, April 23, 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. ET. At this virtual event, OVC will honor individuals, programs, and oragnizations for their oustanding service in supporting victims.

April is National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month. The Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) is a Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) program that works to eliminate backlogs of untested rape kits. As part of these efforts, SAKI created the Core Standards for Sexual Assault Investigations Toolkit.

Join the Office for Victims of Crime, Human Trafficking Capacity Building Center for their upcoming Ask an Expert series webinar “Human Trafficking Data: Using Local Data to Better Understand Trafficking in Your Community” on March 31, 2020 at 3:00–4:00 p.m. ET. This webinar will feature three panelists who will discuss topics related to data collection and application to better understand human trafficking in a specific community and answer participants’ questions. Marie Israelite, director of victim services at the Human Trafficking Institute, will moderate the discussion.

The National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C), supported by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, “provides a nationwide support system for law enforcement and regulatory agencies involved in the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of economic and high-tech crime.” They offer training and technical assistance on responding to white collar and related crimes.

Join the National Criminal Justice Training Center of Fox Valley Technical College for their webinar “Cultural Considerations When Working Within Indian Country – Part 1” on February 24, 2021 at 2:00–3:30 p.m. ET. This webinar will focus on fostering a better “understanding of the tribal community and its system of shared values, beliefs, and rituals that are learned and passed on through generations” as context for working on missing and exploited children’s cases within Indian Country.