Community courts offer a localized, flexible approach to addressing crime and disorder. The model’s inherent adaptability, however, has also made community courts more difficult to evaluate than other, more standardized models. To promote a more robust research base and to help develop an evidence-based framework for the model, this paper sets forth a blueprint to guide future community court evaluations.
Due to COVID-19, the whole world was forced to be innovative in the ways we connect with one another. This document highlights some of the unique ways drug courts were able to stay engaged with clients throughout the pandemic. Some of these solutions have been so successful that the courts plan to integrate these practices even after social distancing restrictions have been lifted.
In 2018 and 2019, advocates, survivor leaders, community-based professionals working directly with criminalized Black women survivors, system players, national thought leaders, and Office on Violence Against Women grantees came together to discuss the needs of criminalized Black women survivors and determine effective strategies for working with and supporting them. This report synthesizes observations and reflections from roundtable participants and outlines important next steps to further enhance this work.
Black women are disproportionately represented in the justice system and face a host of barriers, including histories of domestic violence and sexual assault. This document will outline the specific needs of criminalized Black women and offer strategies for stakeholders working with them.
This document highlights programs with victim contact processes, addresses safety challenges inherent in this work, and offers considerations and best practices for safe and effective implementation.
In response to the worsening overdose crisis and the intersecting risks of COVID-19, key regulations governing opioid agonist therapies have been loosened by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Drug Enforcement Agency. This document outlines guidance provided to opioid agonist therapy prescribers, treatment programs and clinics, as well as important changes concerning confidentiality of treatment health records with the expanded use of telehealth.
Practitioners and systems often fail to incorporate a contextualized understanding of the ways in which sexual assault, revictimization, and criminalization impact Black women. This fact sheet provides trauma-informed and culturally-responsive strategies to help practitioners and system players improve current practices and meet the needs of criminalized Black women survivors of sexual assault.
Notwithstanding the prevalence of exposure to domestic violence, sexual assault and criminalization, Black women demonstrate collective perseverance and resilience. While many faith-based organizations and social service providers often provide links to services that meet survivors’ basic needs (e.g., food, clothing, and temporary shelter), they often fail to provide a complete continuum of care that supports Black women’s resilience. This fact sheet outlines ABCs of supporting Black women's resilience.
Practitioners and systems often fail to incorporate a contextualized understanding of the ways in which both intimate partner violence and criminalization disproportionately impact Black women. This fact sheet provides trauma-informed and culturally-responsive strategies to help practitioners and system players improve current practices and meet the needs of criminalized Black women survivors of intimate partner violence.
Acknowledging the role of faith, spirituality and/or religion is crucial to enhancing cultural responsiveness and understanding the diverse needs of many people. This fact sheet outlines how faith communities can better support criminalized Black women survivors in their own communities and suggests that broader community-based anti-violence efforts should incorporate faith-based organizations into their responses.
