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.
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, courthouses across the country have adjusted to doing at least some of their business remotely—with litigants in one place, judges and lawyers in another. This episode of In Practice explores the pros and cons of video conferencing at initial appearances in adult criminal court from the perspective of defense practitioners.
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.
Abusive partner intervention programs for people who harm their intimate partners take a variety of forms. These programs may share a set of guiding principles and serve as one piece within a wider coordinated community response to addressing intimate partner violence. In Native American communities, it is important that programs integrate cultural values and norms as a way to meaningfully engage people who have caused harm in a process of change.
