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Understanding What Works in the Successful Identification, Investigation, and Prosecution of Labor Trafficking Cases in the United States, 2021-2022 (ICPSR 39017)

Released/updated on: 2026-03-30
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 2021-01-01--2022-12-31

This objective of this study was to identify promising practices in labor trafficking identification and response in five U.S. counties that have demonstrated innovation and commitment to addressing the problem of labor trafficking. Innovative strategies included dedicated labor trafficking investigators, specialized units within county district attorneys' offices, and a statewide multidisciplinary team approach that incorporates efforts to identify and respond to labor trafficking.

Through a review of closed case records and in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 73 anti-labor trafficking stakeholders, this study sought to investigate how labor trafficking came to be prioritized in these jurisdictions and how labor trafficking response is situated in the unique policy, legal, and cultural frameworks of each participating county. This project also explored the ways in which labor trafficking enforcement is understood and operationalized as distinct from sex trafficking enforcement and identifies the challenges addressing labor trafficking with which these five U.S. counties continue to struggle despite their prioritization and established frameworks. Research questions for this study were:

  1. Are there patterns in the characteristics of labor trafficking cases identified by law enforcement at the state and local level?
  2. How does the identification and investigation of labor trafficking cases differ from that of sex trafficking cases in terms of case characteristics, collaboration within and among agencies, case resolutions, and case outcomes?
  3. What are the features of successful labor trafficking investigations?

This collection contains case-level (DS1) and victim-level (DS2) data extracted from closed case records obtained from agencies involved in the study, and qualitative coding summaries containing direct quotes from the interview respondents (DS3). Due to disclosure risk, verbatim interview transcripts were not archived.

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Measuring the Impact of Victim Services: Developing the Victim Outcome and Satisfaction Survey Instrument and Platform, United States, 2022 (ICPSR 39130)

Released/updated on: 2026-02-25
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 2021-06-10--2021-10-01, 2022-10-01--2022-12-31

In recent decades, the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) and the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) have spearheaded efforts to build, grow, and professionalize the victim services field. As a result, the United States service infrastructure for persons impacted by crime has advanced. Despite advancement, efforts to demonstrate the impact and effectiveness of victim services have lagged. Grantee and subgrantee data collected by OVC and OVW demonstrated how hard programs are working, both in terms of the number of victims being served and the range of services offered, but to continue to advance the field, a new platform and survey instrument was developed for victim service providers (VSPs) to move from measuring outputs to outcomes and from anecdote to evidence in demonstrating the effects of these programs on victims' lives. The Measures for Providers Responding to Victimization Experiences (iMPRoVE) platform and survey instrument was the result.

The iMPRoVE platform and survey instrument built on the existing efforts of VSPs to develop a validated, trauma-informed, low-burden outcome measurement instrument that can be completed by victims and survivors. It was designed to provide a victim outcome and service quality survey intended for assessing the effectiveness and quality of services, for supporting the use of best practices, for justifying funding allocations and demonstrating responsible stewardship of funds, and for advocating for additional resources as necessary. Many VSPs previously administered outcome and/or satisfaction surveys to clients with considerable variability in the type, quality, and timing of questions asked and the methodology used to ask them. The iMPRoVE survey instrument was designed to address this issue by providing a standardized client survey instrument and methodology, allowing VSPs to benchmark their findings against other similar programs.

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Evaluation of the Enhanced Collaborative Model to Combat Human Trafficking, United States, 2015-2020 (ICPSR 37988)

Released/updated on: 2025-09-10
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 2015-01-01--2020-12-31

The National Institute of Justice funded the Urban Institute to conduct this multi-site, mixed-methods evaluation of the impact of the U.S. DOJ-funded Enhanced Collaborative Model (ECM) task forces on addressing human trafficking. Specifically, this study sought to (1) understand the impact of the ECM task forces in identifying and assisting human trafficking survivors and investigating and prosecuting human trafficking, and (2) analyze differences in various task force implementation models (e.g., structure and organization) to understand which task force models and features contribute to prosecutions. In addition, this research sought to understand the investigative, prosecutorial, and victim services practices among ECM task forces; challenges and barriers task forces face in combating human trafficking; and synthesize best practices and recommendations for developing and implementing successful task forces.

This data collection includes three datasets compiled from law enforcement closed case files and organized for analysis by case, victim(s), and suspect(s). The collection also includes a README file describing qualitative data consisting of transcripts from interviews with law enforcement officers and other stakeholders involved with ECM task forces.

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Understanding the Impact of COVID-19 on Victim Service Provision: Challenges, Innovations, and Lessons Learned, 8 U.S. counties, 2022-2023 (ICPSR 39019)

Released/updated on: 2025-08-18
Geographic coverage: Illinois, Texas, Massachusetts, Washington
Time period: 2022-01-01--2023-12-31
The COVID-19 pandemic had a disproportionate impact on victims of crime and community-based victim service provider (VSP) agencies were tasked with maintaining accessibility to their critical services. This research study sought to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on service provisions for victims of gender-based violence, including survivors of sexual assault/abuse, IPV, or sex trafficking in eight U.S. counties that vary in geography, urbanicity, and sociopolitical settings.
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Enhancing Response to Victims: A Formative Evaluation of the Office for Victims of Crime Law Enforcement-Based Victim Services (LEV) Program, United States, 2021-2022 (ICPSR 39018)

Released/updated on: 2025-08-14
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 2021-01-01--2022-12-31
Through this formative evaluation, researchers sought to provide foundational knowledge of the law enforcement-based victim services programs funded through the Office for Victims of Crime Law Enforcement-based Victim Services (LEV) program and move the victim services field closer to being able to evaluate the effectiveness of LE-based victim services and identify best practices for service provision. The researchers' specific objectives were to (1) develop a comprehensive inventory and typology of all LEV programs, (2) develop logic models and identify core components of a subset of sites, (3) conduct an evaluability assessment in the subset of sites, (4) develop recommendations for future outcome evaluation, and (5) develop an implementation guide and fidelity measures. The data archived here include administrative data on LEV programs provided by the Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) team, a web survey of all LEV sites, and Census data that was used to describe the communities in which LEV programs were located.
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Improving Outcomes for Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking Victims: A Phased Evaluation of the LOVE146 Victim Services Program, Connecticut, 2016-2021 (ICPSR 39100)

Released/updated on: 2024-11-07
Geographic coverage: United States, Connecticut
Time period: 2016-07-01--2021-05-31

This study analyzed client data from Love146, a non-profit organization that serves youth known or suspected of experiencing commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) victimization. All youth in the state of Connecticut referred to Love 146 receive a brief one-time Rapid Response intervention. A subset of these youth are then referred for Long-Term Services (LTS), intensive year-long clinical and support services. This study examines the trauma histories, service trajectories, and service outcomes for 455 youth referred to Love 146 between July 2016 and May 2021. The study compares characteristics of youth who received only Rapid Response services (n=271) to those who went on to enroll into LTS (n=185). Analyses also considered whether demographic, environmental, or adversity variables predicted successful or unsuccessful LTS service trajectories for youth. Researchers found that youth enrolled in the Love146 LTS program were significantly more likely than those who just received Rapid Response services to be younger and have confirmed (versus suspected) CSE victimization. With the exception of regular school attendance at the time of referral, adversity and risk profiles did not distinguish youth who successfully completed LTS from those who did not. Implications for improving services for this population of youth are discussed.

Policy makers and advocates have urged the development of interventions and programs that can provide children and youth who have experienced commercial sexual exploitation (CSE) with needed services to reduce the likelihood of re-victimization and improve physical health, mental health, and education goals. Communities have responded by developing a variety of service models. However, there is little information about which youth can access CSE services or what service trajectories and outcomes look like for these youth. The non-profit organization Love146 has provided services to youth impacted by CSE through their Survivor Care program since 2014. The current study analyzes five years of de-identified client data from this program to understand the adversity histories of referred youth, and to identify which youth are most likely to access services over longer periods of time, with more successful outcomes.

Self-published

Organizations Serving Victims of Domestic Violence (ICPSR 209345)

Released/updated on: 2024-09-27
Geographic coverage: United States
The Directory of Organizations Serving Domestic Violence Victims includes the names, contact information and service information of more than 3,000 organizations in the US states and territories providing services to domestic violence victims and survivors. If you have any questions about the directory or would like to receive an Excel copy, please e-mail Dr. Mangai Natarajan or Dr. Yasemin Irvin-Erickson.The information in the directory was gathered by researchers from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY and George Mason University. They conducted thorough research to identify organizations that support domestic violence victims, using the Office for Victims of Crime’s Directory of Crime Victim Services, as well as the websites of the National Coalition of Domestic Violence and Survivors.org. The researchers also conducted targeted web-based searches to include Family Justice Centers in the US and organizations supporting South Asian domestic violence victims and domestic violence victims in US territories. This list was compiled between November 2021 and November 2022. Please note that some of the information in this directory might not be current or complete during your review.This directory includes 3,003 organizations in 50 US states, DC and five US territories (American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands) which were established to primarily serve domestic violence victims and umbrella organizations which are likely to provide services to domestic violence victims. This directory excludes juvenile justice agencies, law enforcement agencies, attorney’s offices, health institutions, or campus organizations unless they have specialized staff serving domestic violence victims.This directory was developed with the support of a collaborative grant from the National Science Foundation’s Build and Broaden 2.0 program (Award# 2127295/2127296) as part of the research project “Collaborative Research: The Impact of COVID-19 on Victimization Risk and Service Needs for Domestic Violence Victims and Survivors.”The principal investigators of this study (Dr. Mangai Natarajan and Dr. Yasemin Irvin-Erickson) and the National Science Foundation do not endorse any organizations, programs or services listed in the directory.
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Formative Evaluation of a Technology-Based Behavioral Health Program for Victims of Crime, North Carolina, 2019-2021 (ICPSR 38261)

Released/updated on: 2024-08-28
Geographic coverage: North Carolina, United States
Time period: 2019-01-01--2021-12-31

This initial Phase 1 formative evaluation included the development of a logic model to guide telehealth programming, an evaluability assessment of existing telehealth services, and a pilot test of initial implementation to capture the components needed for future fidelity assessment of these telehealth services as part of a multi-phase evaluation. The telemental health programming was focused on a hybrid approach of service delivery by El Futuro, a community-based organization in Durham, North Carolina. El Futuro's hybrid model of telemental health services combines methods of telehealth and in-person treatment with an array of service components including psychotherapy, psychiatric services, and case management for individuals who were victims of crime (VOCs) seeking mental health services.

Data associated with this project contain information about telehealth sites, client gender, psychiatric diagnoses, session types for the hybrid model, reported traumas for the overall sample used in the evaluability, and feasibility portion of the formative evaluation. The collection also includes outcome information for a subset of participants, such as client reported improvement and satisfaction.

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The Victim-Offender Overlap: Examining Police and Service System Networks of Response Among Violent Street Conflicts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 2018-2019 (ICPSR 37601)

Released/updated on: 2024-06-26
Geographic coverage: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Time period: 2018-01-01--2019-12-31

The study examined the networks of service delivery around violent assaults involving street conflicts and disputes. The research was designed to expand understanding of the situational and contextual factors around street violence that impact how individuals who have past justice system involvement access (or do not access) victim services after being violently injured. The project used a mixed-method design that yielded both qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data were drawn from focus groups, semi-structured interview with victim services providers, and in-depth interviews with 103 victims of street crime. Quantitative data were drawn from surveys and social network data collection with those same 103 victims of violent street assaults.

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Evaluability Assessment and Baseline Study of the Supporting Collective Healing in the Wake of Harm Program, 5 U.S. cities, 2018-2019 (ICPSR 37624)

Released/updated on: 2024-01-16
Geographic coverage: Rapid City, Minneapolis, Baton Rouge, United States, Texas, Louisiana, South Dakota, Minnesota, California, Oakland, Houston
Time period: 2018-01-01--2019-12-31
The Collective Healing Initiative (CHI) is a demonstration project supporting five law enforcement agencies from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Houston, Texas, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Rapid City, South Dakota, and Oakland, California. The purpose was to work with their communities to promote collective healing in the wake of traumatic events. The law enforcement agencies worked collaboratively with various community partners and service providers to implement trauma-informed strategies to improve police-community relations, enhance victim services, and promote officer wellness. Researchers conducted an evaluability assessment and baseline study of the CHI using a mixed methods study design including a comprehensive document review, site visits, a capacity and network survey, and a stakeholder survey. Data analyses included a rigorous qualitative analysis of interview data, a social network analysis of grantee and partner collaboration, and a descriptive analysis of stakeholder perceptions of the CHI and the training and technical assistance provided. Findings from each data source were triangulated to develop site descriptions and logic models, assess collaboration and partnerships, conduct evaluability assessments to inform future research and evaluation plans, and assess the training and technical assistance delivered to the sites.
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Evaluating a Victim Notification Protocol for Untested Sexual Assault Kits (SAKs): How Do Survivors Define Justice Years After An Assault?, Detroit, Michigan, 2019-2020 (ICPSR 38921)

Released/updated on: 2023-11-13
Geographic coverage: Detroit, United States, Michigan
Time period: 2019-01-01--2020-12-31

After a sexual assault, victims are advised to have a medical forensic exam, including the collection of a sexual assault kit (SAK) to preserve forensic evidence of the crime. The SAK samples can be analyzed for DNA, which can help prosecute assailants and prevent future assaults. However, police do not routinely submit SAKs for forensic DNA testing, and large stockpiles of untested kits have been documented in over 41 jurisdictions. To address this growing national problem, many cities are now testing all of their older rape kits. Re-contacting survivors to inform them that their SAK had not been tested and now will be/has been tested is referred to as 'victim notification.' This study explored how victim notifications can support survivors' well-being and promote justice. Researchers conducted qualitative interviews with 32 sexual assault survivors in Detroit, MI. All participants had experienced a Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) Hit Re-Engagement Victim Notification, in which law enforcement personnel contacted survivors to inform them that their SAKs had been tested and the testing yielded a suspect DNA match in the FBI's national criminal database CODIS. All survivors agreed to re-engage with the criminal legal system and participate in the investigation and prosecution of these cases. Researchers also completed qualitative interviews with 12 community-based advocates about their experiences providing advocacy and support to these survivors throughout their notification and re-engagement experiences. They used semi-structured interviews to document:

  1. Survivors' CODIS Hit Re-Engagement Victim Notification experiences;
  2. Survivors' decision-making processes regarding re-engagement with the criminal legal system;
  3. Survivors' re-engagement experiences with the criminal legal system and the extent to which their court experiences provided procedural, distributive, retributive, and/or restorative justice;
  4. Survivors' advocacy experiences from victim notification through criminal legal system re-engagement.
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After Rescue: Evaluation of Strategies to Stabilize and Integrate Adult Survivors of Human Trafficking to the United States, 2006-2011 (ICPSR 36405)

Released/updated on: 2023-09-27
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 2006-01-01--2011-12-31

This mixed-methods project examined comprehensive case management services provided from fiscal years 2006 to 2011 to adult survivors of human trafficking born outside of the United States. The purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of different intervention strategies to stabilize, rehabilitate, and integrate survivors into wider society. Case management services were funded by the Anti-Trafficking in Persons (ATIP) Program of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) under the Per Capita Reimbursement Contract administered by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Several data sources were used for analysis: 1) A longitudinal, relational database of survivor cases as reported electronically by subcontracted social service providers throughout the United States, 2) intake assessment and case notes, and 3) group discussions and in-depth interviews with service providers to gain an understanding of the processes and dynamics involved in protecting survivors from repeat victimization and facilitating their reintegration into the mainstream society.

Two datasets are included in this collection: the Base dataset (DS1), a cleaned and merged version of USCCB records, and the Analysis dataset (DS2), which includes all base items and variables constructed for analysis. The qualitative interview data will be made available at a future date.

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Impact of Victim Offender Dialogue on Victims of Serious Crimes: A Longitudinal Cohort-Control Study, Colorado, 2017-2019 (ICPSR 37610)

Released/updated on: 2023-06-15
Geographic coverage: United States, Colorado
Time period: 2017-01-01--2019-09-30

The goal of this National Institute of Justice-funded research study was to determine the impact of High-Risk Victim Offender Dialogue (HR-VOD) on victims of serious or violent crimes and criminal offenders currently or previously under the supervision of a Colorado correctional facility or community supervision agency. Specifically, the research team conducted a longitudinal, mixed-methods cohort-control study, comparing the wellbeing of victims and offenders who participated in a facilitated restorative justice dialogue to the wellbeing of those who did not participate. Wellbeing of crime victims were measured by validated psychometric scales capturing trauma indicators, PTSD, depression, substance abuse behaviors, and physical and emotional health.

In addition, qualitative interviews with participants built a multi-faceted contextual understanding of the impact of HR-VOD on victim trauma and healing and offender development. Interviews took place at enrollment in the VOD program, within 72 hours of the VOD intervention, and six months following the VOD intervention. This study was designed to inform practice and policy decisions about the use of HR-VOD in criminal justice settings in Colorado and nationally to improve criminal justice outcomes and ameliorate the effects of crime.

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National Survey of Tribal Court Systems, 2014 (ICPSR 38409)

Released/updated on: 2022-03-30
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 2014-01-01--2014-12-31

The National Survey of Tribal Court Systems (NSTCS) is the first complete enumeration of tribal court systems operating in the United States and gathers administrative and operational information from tribal court systems, prosecutors' offices, and indigent defense providers operating in the United States. The NSTCS helps fulfill BJS's legislative mandate under the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010 (TLOA; P.L. 111-211, 124 Stat. 2258 § 251(b)) to establish and implement a tribal crime data collection system. Data for the NSTCS were collected by Kauffman & Associates, Inc., an American Indian- and woman-owned management consulting firm, in collaboration with the Tribal Law and Policy Institute.

The National Survey of Tribal Court Systems (NSTCS) consists of three surveys specific to tribal court systems in the lower 48 states, Alaska Native villages, and the Code of Federal Regulations Courts (CFR Courts) operated by the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). Due to data collection challenges and the limited number of Alaska Native villages and CFR Courts that participated in this collection, the Tribal Courts in United States, 2014, report, data file and documentation include information only on tribal court systems in the lower 48 states.

Data for the 2014 NSTCS were collected through mail, email, and telephone nonresponse follow-up. Data on the number and type of tribal court systems were obtained from all eligible federally recognized tribes. The final universe of eligible respondents in the lower 48 states included 234 tribal court systems, of which 196 (83.8%) participated in the survey.

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National Survey of Victim Service Providers, [United States], 2019 (ICPSR 38149)

Released/updated on: 2021-12-02
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 2019-01-01--2019-12-31
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) entered into a cooperative agreement with Westat to design and conduct the National Survey of Victim Service Providers (NSVSP). The NSVSP is jointly funded by the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) and BJS. It is part of BJS's Victim Services Statistical Research Program that aims to provide comprehensive information about what services are being provided to victims, who is being served, and what gaps in service delivery may exist. The NSVSP provides a critical opportunity to address the existing knowledge gaps and enhance the victim services field to better serve the needs of crime victims. It collected detailed information on the number of victims served by type of crime, victim characteristics, services provided, criminal justice and community relationships, service gaps, and VSP staff size, turnover, and characteristics.
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Ethnocultural Influences on Women's Experiences of and Responses to Intimate Partner Violence, Los Angeles and Orange Counties, California, United States, 2014-2017 (ICPSR 37097)

Released/updated on: 2021-04-28
Geographic coverage: Orange County, United States, Los Angeles, California
Time period: 2014-01-01--2017-12-31

Research about ethnocultural influences on women's experience of and response to intimate partner violence (IPV) is scarce, contributing to culturally incongruent processes that may deter some survivors from engaging with community systems. To fill this gap in the literature, this project examined the ways that cultural beliefs and contexts serve as a lens through which European-American, Mexican-American, Korean-American, and Vietnamese-American women experience and respond to IPV in their lives. Community-based recruitment techniques were used to recruit female survivors of intimate partner violence from the four target ethnic groups. Data collection included qualitative interviews (n = 112) and online surveys (n = 193) with survivors of intimate partner violence as well as focus groups with service providers (n = 37). While there were many shared experiences across survivors from the four ethnic groups, important differences in survivors' interpretation of abuse, strategies for managing the abuse, and help-seeking experiences did emerge. These differences have important implications for the development of culturally competent prevention and intervention strategies for survivors from different ethnic groups.

This collection only contains the online survey data. The focus group and individual interview data will be released at a future date.

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Responding to Sexual Assault on Campus: A National Assessment and Systematic Classification of the Scope and Challenges for Investigation and Adjudication, [United States], 2014-2019 (ICPSR 37458)

Released/updated on: 2020-09-30
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 2014-01-01--2019-12-31

This study, Responding to Sexual Assault on Campus: A National Assessment and Systematic Classification of the Scope and Challenges for Investigation and Adjudication, documents the current landscape (the breadth and differences) of campus approaches to investigations and adjudication of sexual assault. Data were gathered from a national sample of 969 colleges and universities in conjunction with interviews with key informants in 47 universities.

Informed by a victim-centered focus, researchers developed a typology/matrix of approaches based on documented features of Institutes of Higher Education (IHE) policies related to sexual assault. In addition to the typology/matrix development, interviews and surveys of campus stakeholders and key informants were conducted to identify implementation strategies and challenges associated with each type of response model. The project ultimately produced guidelines that may assist colleges with assessing their capacity and preparedness to meet new and existing demands for sexual assault response models.

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National Census of Victim Service Providers, [United States], 2017 (ICPSR 37518)

Released/updated on: 2020-02-27
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 2016-10-01--2017-07-31
The purpose of the National Census of Victim Service Providers (NCVSP) is to describe the field of organizations or programs that are dedicated to serving victims of crime or abuse. The NCVSP collects characteristics about victim service providers (VSPs) over the past year, including the structure of the organization, the services the organization provided to victims, the availability of a hotline/helpline for victims, the types of crimes for which victims received services, the number of staff providing victim services, and current issues of concern to victim service providers. The information is intended for use by policymakers, practitioners at the Federal, state and local levels, academic researchers, and special interest groups to inform decisions related to victim services and the organizations that provide these services. The NCVSP also provides descriptive information about the full universe of organizations that provide crime victim services that can be used to develop representative samples for the National Survey of Victim Service Providers (NSVSP) and other VSP surveys.
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Environmental Scan of Family Justice Centers in the United States, 2016-2017 (ICPSR 36973)

Released/updated on: 2018-05-15
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 2016-01-01--2017-12-31

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information in needed.

This study conducts an environmental scan of current Family Justice Centers (FJCs) across the United States as part of a multi-phase effort to develop a formal evaluation plan to measure the effectiveness of FJCs and similar multi-agency co-located collaboratives.

The collection contains 1 SAS data file (fjc_analysis_nacjd_20180226.sas7bdat (n=52; 813 variables)) and 1 syntax file.

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Evaluating the Cost Effectiveness of the Elder Abuse Forensic Center Model in Los Angeles County, California, 2007-2013 (ICPSR 35484)

Released/updated on: 2017-06-29
Geographic coverage: Los Angeles, California
Time period: 2013-03-07--2013-05-23, 2007-04-01--2009-12-31, 2007-01-01--2011-12-31

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they there received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except of the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompany readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collections and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.

This study evaluated the cost effectiveness of the Los Angeles Elder Abuse Forensic Center (EAFC) by examining costs associated elder abuse cases processed under a multidisciplinary team approach. Using data collected in Evaluating the Elder Abuse Forensic Center Model in Los Angeles County, California, 2007-2009 (ICPSR 34979) researchers focused on the key components, participants, and processes necessary to operate the Los Angeles EAFC and identified the costs required to process an elder abuse case as well as the outcomes attained by the EAFC. This study also carried out a survey of Adult Protective Service (APS) social workers on time spent on different case process activity and their perception on efficiency of the Los Angeles EAFC, and collected associated costs estimates.

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Delivery and Evaluation of the 2012 International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) National Blended Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE) Training [UNITED STATES] (ICPSR 34903)

Released/updated on: 2016-12-21
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 2012-01-01--2012-12-31

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.

The project sought to address the shortage of sexual assault forensic examiners (SAFE) by delivering and evaluating a comprehensive SAFE training program developed by the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN). To assess if the training was effective, researchers conducted an outcome evaluation using a mixed methods approach, including quantitative pre-post training and qualitative interviews with instructors and students. The evaluation had three main components: 1) to assess training completion, including the percentage of students who completed the training and the factors that contributed to their completion; 2) to ascertain whether students attained knowledge through pre-test/post-tests and the factors that contributed to knowledge attainment; and 3) to determine whether students retained their knowledge using a post-training exam approximately three months following the training, and whether the students incorporated the core concepts of the training into their SAFE practice.

The researchers divided the project into 3 studies. Study 1 examined how many students completed the training and what predicted training completion. Study 2a utilized a one-group pre-test post-test design where researchers assessed students' knowledge attainment for 12 online modules. Study 2b utilized a qualitative framework to understand the instructors' pedagogical approach to teaching clinical skills. In addition, researchers conducted qualitative interviews to examine the students' perceptions of the patient care and medical forensic exam skills gained from the clinical component in the SAFE training, and how the clinical training contributed to their skill development. Study 3a explored knowledge retention using an online post-training survey given to students three months following the training. Study 3b utilized the same qualitative framework as Study 2b. Only data for studies 1, 2a, and 3a are available with this collection. The data file has 198 cases and 675 variables. The qualitative interviews for Studies 2b and 3b are not available as part of this data collection at this time.

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Evaluating the Elder Abuse Forensic Center Model in Los Angeles County, California, 2007-2009 (ICPSR 34979)

Released/updated on: 2016-11-30
Geographic coverage: Los Angeles, California
Time period: 2007-04-01--2009-12-31

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they there received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except of the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompany readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collections and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.

The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary team (MDT) intervention - the Los Angeles County Elder Abuse Forensic Center to: 1) prosecute elder abuse, 2) protect vulnerable older adults through conservatorship, and 3) reduce or prevent recurring cases of abuse. The study used a quasi-experimental design and focused on elder abuse cases involving victims aged 65 or older reviewed at the Los Angeles County Elder Abuse Forensic Center (the Center) between April 1, 2007 and December 31, 2009. These Center cases were compared to a propensity score match sample of Los Angeles County Adult Protective Services (APS) cases. Data were collected from Adult Protective Services case files, District Attorney filings, and Office of the Public Guardian conservatorship records.

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Evaluation of the Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification (SAVIN) Program [United States], 2010-2012 (ICPSR 34593)

Released/updated on: 2016-09-30
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 2010-01-01--2012-12-31

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they there received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except of the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompany readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collections and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Statewide Automated Victim Information and Notification (SAVIN) program; evaluate victims' awareness and use of automated victim notification (AVN) systems and the role service providers play in ensuring that victims are aware of, and able to successfully register for, AVN services. Researchers conducted three waves of telephone interviews with automated victim notification (AVN) system administrators (AVN System Administrator Interview Data, n=52), including those in states not participating in the BJA SAVIN program. Researchers also interviewed individuals overseeing victim notification services in states without AVN. Researchers also created two online surveys to supplement the information collected in the telephone interviews (Survey of Service Providers, n = 1,246). Finally, Researchers contacted selected service providers via email and telephone to inform them that they had been identified to participate in the survey of victims (Survey of Victims Data, n=1,355) and asked to confirm their participation. Participating service providers displayed the surveys in a public area where they could be completed by anyone visiting the office for an issue related to victim services. To encourage participation from victims who did not receive in-office services, the research team gave providers a sample email (in both English and Spanish) that they could provide to remote clients with information about how to access the online survey. The research team fielded the survey for three months in 2012, with reminder emails sent to participating providers on a bi-weekly basis.

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Evaluation of Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Exams: Payment Practices and Policies in the United States, 2011 (ICPSR 34906)

Released/updated on: 2016-08-31
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 2011-07-01--2011-12-31

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they there received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except of the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompany readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collections and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.

The qualitative Case Study data is not available as part of this data collection at this time.

The purpose of the study was to examine: (1) which entities pay for sexual assault medical forensic exams (MFEs) in state and local jurisdictions throughout the United States, and the policies and practices around determining payment; (2) what services are provided in the exam process and how exams are linked to counseling, advocacy, and other services; (3) whether exams are provided to victims regardless of their reporting or intention to report the assault to the criminal justice system; (4) how MFE kits are being stored for victims who choose not to participate in the criminal justice system process; and (5) whether Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) 2005 requirements are generally being met throughout the country.

Researchers conducted national surveys to obtain state-level information from state Services Training Officers Prosecutors (STOP) administrators (SSAs), victim compensation fund administrators, and state-level sexual assault coalitions. Surveys were distributed to potential respondents in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and United States territories that held these state-level positions. Researchers also distributed local-level surveys though an extensive listserv maintained by the National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC). Researchers also conducted case studies in 19 local jurisdictions across six states were selected for case studies.

Interviewees included

  • the victim compensation fund administrator, state STOP administrator, state coalition director (or an appointed staff member) and sometimes crime lab or other state justice agency personnel, at the state level, and;
  • law enforcement, prosecution, victim advocacy staff, and healthcare-based exam providers at the local level.

Finally, researchers concluded each local jurisdiction visit with a focus group with victims of sexual assault.

Data collection efforts included: a national survey of crime victim compensation fund administrators (Compensation Data, n = 26); a national survey of Services Training Officers Prosecutors (STOP) grant program administrators (SSA Data, n = 52); a national survey of state sexual assault coalitions (Coalitions Data, n = 47); and a survey of local community-based victim service providers (Local Provider Data, n = 489).

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Impact Evaluation of the National Crime Victim Law Institute's Victims' Rights Clinics, 2009-2010 [United States] (ICPSR 34487)

Released/updated on: 2016-04-29
Geographic coverage: United States, Colorado, Maryland, Utah, South Carolina
Time period: 2009-01-01--2010-12-31

These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.

The purpose of the impact evaluation was to gauge the success of the victim's rights clinics in attaining each of the following goals

  • Aid in enforcing rights for individual victims and getting them help for crime-related needs, thereby increasing satisfaction of victims with the justice process;
  • Change attitudes of criminal justice officials towards victims' rights and increase their knowledge about rights;
  • Change the legal landscape: establish victim standing and develop positive case law;
  • Increase compliance of criminal justice officials with victims' rights; and
  • Sustain the clinic through developing alternative sources of funding

Researchers conducted surveys with prosecutors, judges, victim advocates, and defense attorneys to determine whether they had changed their attitudes toward victims' rights since the local clinic opened its doors. Surveys were fielded in South Carolina, Maryland, and Utah (Criminal Justice Official data, n=552) where clinic evaluations were conducted. An additional survey was fielded in Colorado (Colorado data, n=583) where the victim rights clinic had not yet started to accept cases. To determine the effect that clinics had on observance of victims' rights, researchers collected three samples of cases from prosecutors (NCVLI Case File Data, n=757) in the jurisdiction or jurisdictions in which each local clinic had done the most work: (a) all clinic cases closed since the start of each local clinic; (b) cases closed during the most recent 12-month period which did not involve representation by a clinic attorney; and (c) cases closed in the year prior to the start of each local clinic. Finally, to assess the impact of the clinics on victims' satisfaction with the criminal justice process and its compliance with their rights, researchers conducted telephone interviews (Victim Survey Data, n=125) with two samples of victims in each evaluation site, one drawn from the sample of cases at prosecutor offices and one drawn from the crime victim legal clinics.

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A Study of Wife Abuse Among Vietnamese Immigrants to the US, 2000-2001 (ICPSR 35247)

Released/updated on: 2015-02-09
Geographic coverage: United States, Massachusetts, Boston
Time period: 1999-01-01--2002-12-31
This study involved a purposive sample of 129 Vietnamese immigrant women to the United States, 57 of whom experienced domestic violence. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected on abuse, efforts to stop the abuse, immigration experiences, current and prior relationship with partners, and many facets of life. One year after the first interview, the women who had experienced abuse were re-interviewed to determine whether their circumstances had changed and why they had or had not changed. For both interviews, data were collected on contacts with the justice system and satisfaction with those contacts. To measure abuse and one-year outcomes, variables included: values/norms promoting husband's domination, conflict over expectations about gender roles and other aspects of family life, immigration (reasons for immigration, sequencing of husband's and wife's move, each person's legal status), and circumstances related to immigration (discrimination, employment and occupational status, proximity of extended family, wife's support network). Qualitative data on the pattern, nature, and context of the abuse was collected to provide description of why the abuse occurred, and to support findings from the quantitative analysis and/or better specify the causative model. Additional variables included wife's perceptions of immigration law and the outcome of criminal justice involvement; wife's perception of the consequences of divorce (financial, legal realities and cultural norms regarding child custody, effect of marital status on woman's social status and quality of life); need for and effects of wife moving from the ethnic community to the mainstream to escape abuse (need of identification with the ethnic group, support network of relatives and friends, social reactions to abuse); wife's economic power (ability to speak English, earn a living); wife's experience in seeking help (knowledge of United States legal system, availability of legal and victim assistance for abused women, experience with the justice system and victim assistance programs). Demographic variables included age, race, citizenship status, religion, education, and number of children.
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The Effectiveness of Coordinated Outreach in Intimate Partner Violence Cases in Denver, Colorado 2007 to 2009 (ICPSR 30961)

Released/updated on: 2014-11-07
Geographic coverage: United States, Colorado, Denver
Time period: 2007-01-01--2009-12-31

In collaboration with community- and system-based partners, the current study used an experimental design to test the impact of phone outreach from community-based agencies to women exposed to Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) compared to phone referrals provided by system-based unit (i.e., the Victim Assistance Unit of the DPD or the City Attorney's Office) in a racially and ethnically diverse sample of women whose cases have come to the attention of the criminal justice system. The phone outreach was informed by an interdisciplinary team involving both system- and community-based team members. Participants, who were randomly selected to receive outreach or treatment-as-usual, were interviewed at three time points: after an incident of IPV was reported to the police (T1), 6 months after T1, and 12 months after T1. The study addressed three primary roles. First, investigators evaluated the effectiveness of a coordinated, community-based outreach program in improving criminal justice and victim safety and empowerment outcomes for IPV victims using a longitudinal, randomized control design. Second, victim and case characteristics that moderated outcomes were identified. Third, the influence of spatial characteristics on criminal justice outcomes was evaluated.

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Testing a Model of Domestic Abuse Against Elder Women and Barriers to Help-Seeking in Miami-Dade County, Florida, 2006 (ICPSR 27981)

Released/updated on: 2014-05-07
Geographic coverage: United States, Florida, Miami
Time period: 2006-01-01--2010-12-31
This study sought to understand perceived barriers to help-seeking for female victims of domestic abuse age 50 years and older (by a spouse, partner, adult child, grandchild, other relative or close friend) relative to the perceived barriers for women in the same age group who are not victims of such abuse. Additionally, the study explored the impact of key demographic variables of race and ethnicity, relationship to the presumed abuser, and age at the time of the survey on perceived barriers of victims. To address these research questions this study tested an empirical model that described relevant factors regarding perceived barriers to help-seeking and explored if and how this model changed based on the identified variables. Study participants represented a community sample of females age 50 years and older interested in participating in research regarding conflict in close personal relationships experienced by women in this target age range. Specific aims for the project were intended to lead to increased knowledge regarding perceived barriers to help-seeking among older women and, in particular, to develop a basis for describing (a) if and how these perceived barriers were unique to domestic abuse victims relative to non-victims in this age group and (b) how they varied based on selected variables.
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Victim Participation in Intimate Partner Violence Prosecution - Implications for Safety: Kalamazoo County, Michigan, 1999-2002 (ICPSR 30741)

Released/updated on: 2014-03-28
Geographic coverage: United States, Kalamazoo, Michigan
Time period: 1999-01-01--2002-12-31
This longitudinal mixed-methods study examined to what extent female intimate partner violence (IPV) victim participation in prosecution was associated with their future safety. The study followed a cohort of female IPV victims with cases the police presented to the prosecutor, in the year 2000, in a single Midwestern United States county (Kalamazoo County, Michigan) for a four-year period (1999-2002) across multiple systems (police, prosecutor, criminal court, civil court, hospital Emergency Departments) to assess the victim's experience with participation in IPV prosecution and her associated future help seeking, health and safety. Since this study utilized retrospective administrative data, subsequent IPV was defined as a future documented IPV-related police incident or an Emergency Department visit for IPV or injury. The data abstraction and analysis of the administrative data was informed by focus groups with survivors, advocates, and medical and criminal justice service providers, along with in-depth qualitative analysis of a stratified random sample of individual IPV cases. The final analytic dataset created by the research team integrated two types of data: (1) in-depth data about the index assault case and characteristics of the couple involved, and (2) longitudinal data about prior and subsequent IPV events spanning multiple systems: police, prosecutor, emergency department, and family court protection orders.
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Providing a Citywide System of Single Point Access to Domestic Violence Information, Resources, and Referrals to a Diverse Population: An Evaluation of the City of Chicago Domestic Violence Help Line, 2004-2005 (ICPSR 33970)

Released/updated on: 2012-10-23
Geographic coverage: United States, Chicago, Illinois
Time period: 2004-07-01--2005-08-31, 2005-04-01--2005-08-31, 2005-03-01--2005-03-31, 2004-05-01--2004-09-30

This study was a 2-year evaluation of the City of Chicago Domestic Violence Help Line. The Help Line was a unique telephone service functioning as a clearinghouse for all domestic violence victim services in the Chicago metropolitan area. The service was toll-free, multi-lingual, confidential, and operated 24-hours, 7 days a week. The purpose of the Help Line was to connect domestic violence victims to specialized services through direct referrals and three-way phone linkages.

In order to conduct a comprehensive evaluation, the perspective of a broad range of users of the Help Line was sought. Telephone interviews were conducted with domestic violence victim callers to the Help Line over the course of one year (Part 1 - Victims Data). Telephone interviews were also conducted with domestic violence service providers (Part 2 - Providers Data). As the largest referral source into the Help Line, Chicago Police Officers completed a written survey about their experiences with the Help Line (Part 3 - Police Data). Finally, to explore the general awareness of the Help Line, members of the District Advisory Committees across the city were surveyed (Part 4 - District Advisory Committee (DAC) Data).

The Part 1 (Victims Data) data file contains 399 cases and 277 variables. The Part 2 (Providers Data) data file contains 74 cases and 137 variables. The Part 3 (Police Data) data file contains 1,205 cases and 128 variables. The Part 4 (District Advisory Committee (DAC) Data) data file contains 357 cases and 105 variables.

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Sexual Assault Among Latinas (SALAS) Study, May-September 2008 [United States] (ICPSR 28142)

Released/updated on: 2012-10-05
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 2008-05-28--2008-09-03
This Sexual Assault Among Latinas (SALAS) study was designed to examine interpersonal victimization among a national sample of Latino women, particularly focusing on help-seeking behaviors, culturally relevant factors, and psychosocial impacts. A national sample of 2,000 adult Latino women living in the United States participated in the study. An experienced survey research firm with specialization in doing surveys that ask about sensitive subjects conducted interviews between May 28, 2008 and September 3, 2008 using a Computer Assisted Telephone Interview (CATI) system. The data contain a total of 1,388 variables including demographics, victimization history, help-seeking efforts, mental health status, and religious behavior and beliefs variables.
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National Impact Evaluation of Victim Programs Through the S.T.O.P. Violence Against Women Formula Program, United States, 2000-2001 (ICPSR 25922)

Released/updated on: 2012-06-25
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 2000-01-01--2000-12-31, 2000-01-01--2000-12-31, 2001-06-01--2001-10-31, 2001-11-01--2002-02-28
The purpose of this evaluation was to assess whether the STOP (Services/Training/Officers/Prosecution) Violence Against Women Formula Grants Program's financial support for direct victim services offered through private nonprofit victim service agencies helped victims of domestic violence and sexual assault improve their safety and well-being, and work successfully with the legal system and other relevant agencies. Researchers selected eight states whose state STOP agency had different levels of emphasis on creating collaborative structures in local service networks to help victims. Researchers collected information, as of November 15, 1999, about 201 nonprofit victim service agencies receiving STOP funding to deliver direct services, their services, and their community linkages. A Program Survey, Part 1 (Victim Impact Program Survey -- Fax to Subgrantees Data) and Part 2 (Victim Impact Program Survey -- Telephone Interview with Subgrantees Data) completed in spring 2000 used telephone interviews with the person most knowledgeable about STOP-funded activities to obtain this information. The sample included 201 nonprofit victim service agencies that were nationally representative of all private nonprofit victim service agencies receiving STOP funds for direct services. Among the purposes of the Program Survey data was selecting the communities in the eight focal states to include in the final stage of the study design -- the Help Seeker and the Community sample (Parts 3 and 4, respectively). The Help Seeker (Part 3) sample consisted of 958 women recruited from nonprofit victim service and legal system agencies who had contacted those agencies for assistance related to experiences of domestic violence and/or sexual assault. They were interviewed between June and October 2001. The Community sample (Part 4) was a random sample of 673 women in their communities who were 18 to 35 years of age. The sample was selected using random digit dialing (RDD), screening for women aged 18 to 35 in the victim service program catchment area from which researchers drew the Help Seeker sample. The women in the Community sample were interviewed between November 2001 and February 2002. The women's data were then linked to Program Survey data from their own community. Across the 4 data files there are 2,947 variables. Part 1 (Victim Impact Program Survey -- Fax to Subgrantees Data) contains information related to the role of the agency which received STOP funding, the characteristics of employees and volunteers of the agency, and the characteristics of victims the agency served. The data also include how many victims of domestic violence the agency assisted with obtaining protective/restraining orders and the number of victims helped through criminal justice advocacy activities. The agency approximated how many referrals they received from other sources and how many referrals they made to other agencies/organizations. There were also questions related to the STOP grant(s) received by the agencies and the agencies were asked about their data collection and evaluation efforts and in what form this information was maintained. Part 2 (Victim Impact Program Survey -- Telephone Interview with Subgrantees Data) contains background information regarding the agency and the respondent answering questions on behalf of the agency. Respondents were also asked whether their agency conducted needs assessments to identify community needs with respect to violence against women, to identify service solutions to meet those needs, and to summarize their STOP project goals and activities. The data file also includes questions about referrals and how their agency's STOP project related to other activities of the agency. Additionally, the respondent answered questions related to the coordination and communication between their agency, law enforcement, prosecution, and victim service agencies. There were also general community questions, and the respondent provided outreach information. Respondents were also asked a series of questions about their agency's contact with the state STOP administrator. Part 3 (Study of Women's Services -- Help Seeker Sample Data) and Part 4 (Study of Women's Services -- Community Sample Data) asked women about their demographic background, their intimate relationships, the types of violence they had experienced with intimate partners, and whether or not they had been sexually assaulted and the circumstances around such experiences. Respondents in these data files were also asked if they were familiar with the victim service agencies in their community. In addition, the women were asked if they had used any victim service or legal system agencies in the community. Also included is the extent to which respondents felt the staff of victim service and legal system agencies behaved positively or negatively toward them, how effective they found the help from the legal system to be, how helpful they found the activities provided by victim service agencies to be, and how much control they felt they had over the services provided from victim service and legal system agencies. The respondents were also asked if they would ever use these agencies again if they needed to, how satisfied they were with the outcome of the legal system case, how satisfied they were with their lives in general, and how much social support they received from people in their lives. Essentially, the same questions were asked during the Help Seeker and Community Sample interviews, but were asked in a different order.
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Richmond, Virginia/Police Foundation Domestic Violence Partnership, 1999-2000 (ICPSR 25926)

Released/updated on: 2012-06-05
Geographic coverage: United States, Virginia, Richmond
Time period: 1999-04-01--2000-06-30, 1999-10-01--2000-12-31

This study involved the evaluation of the Second Responders Program in Richmond, Virginia as well as a process evaluation of the researcher/practitioner partnership formed between the Police Foundation, the Richmond Police Department, and the Richmond Department of Social Services. Findings were based on two waves of victim interviews with women who received Second Responder intervention and women who received only police intervention. Field researchers contacted eligible subjects and attempted to interview them within 1 week of the domestic violence incident to which police were called. The second interview took place 6 months later. Interviews took place between April, 1999 and December, 2000. The Part 1 (Wave 1 Data) file contains 158 cases and 318 variables. The Part 2 (Wave 2 Data) file contains 120 cases and 691 variables.

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National Prosecutors Survey [Census], 2007 (ICPSR 33202)

Released/updated on: 2012-05-14
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 2007-01-01--2007-12-31
The 2007 Census of State Court Prosecutors marked the second BJS survey of all prosecutors' offices in the United States. The first census, conducted in 2001, included the 2,341 offices in operation at that time. The second census included the 2,330 state court prosecutors' offices operating in 2007. Neither census included offices of municipal attorneys or county attorneys, who primarily operate in courts of limited jurisdiction. State court prosecutors serve in the executive branch of state governments and handle felony cases in state courts of general jurisdiction. By law, these prosecutors are afforded broad discretion in determining who is charged with an offense and whether a case goes to trial. The chief prosecutor, also referred to as the district attorney, county attorney, commonwealth attorney, or state's attorney, represents the state in criminal cases and is answerable to the public as an elected or appointed public official. The Office of the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia is the only federal prosecutor included in the census. This unique office is responsible for prosecution of serious local crimes committed in the District and also for prosecution of federal cases, whether criminal or civil.
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Systems Change Analysis of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Programs in One Midwestern County of the United States, 1994-2007 (ICPSR 25881)

Released/updated on: 2011-07-06
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 1994-01-01--2005-12-31, 1999-09-01--2005-12-31, 2007-04-01--2007-05-31, 1994-01-01--2005-12-31, 1999-09-01--2007-05-31, 2008-07-01--2008-08-31

The purpose of this study was to determine whether adult sexual assault cases in a Midwestern community were more likely to be investigated and prosecuted after the implementation of a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program, and to identify the 'critical ingredients' that contributed to that increase.

Part 1 (Study 1: Case Records Quantitative Data) used a quasi-experimental, nonequivalent comparison group cohort design to compare criminal justice systems outcomes for adult sexual assault cases treated in county hospitals five years prior to the implementation of the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program (January 1994 to August 1999) (the comparison group, n=156) to cases treated in the focal SANE program during its first seven years of operation (September 1999 to December 2005) (the intervention group, n=137). Variables include focus on case outcome, law enforcement agency that handled the case, DNA findings, and county-level factors, including prosecutor elections and the emergence of the focal SANE program.

Part 2 (Study 2: Case Characteristics Quantitative Data) used the adult sexual assault cases from the Study 1 intervention group (post-SANE) (n=137) to examine whether victim characteristics, assault characteristics, and the presence and type of medical forensic evidence predicted case progression outcomes.

Part 3 (Study 3: Police and Prosecutors Interview Qualitative Data) used in-depth interviews in April and May of 2007 with law enforcement supervisors (n=9) and prosecutors (n=6) in the focal county responsible for the prosecution of adult sexual assault crimes to explore if and how the SANEs affect the way in which police and prosecutors approach such cases. The interviews focused on four main topics: (1) whether they perceived a change in investigations and prosecution of adult sexual assault cases in post-SANE, (2) their assessment of the quality and utility of the forensic evidence provided by SANEs, (3) their perceptions regarding whether inter-agency training has improved the quality of police investigations and reports post-SANE, and (4) their perceptions regarding if and how the SANE program increased communication and collaboration among legal and medical personnel, and if such changes have influenced law enforcement investigational practices or prosecutor charging decisions.

Part 4 (Study 4: Police Reports Quantitative Data) examined police reports written before and after the implementation of the SANE program to determine whether there had been substantive changes in ways sexual assaults cases were investigated since the emergence of the SANE program. Variables include whether the police had referred the case to the prosecutor, indicators of SANE involvement, and indicators of law enforcement effort.

Part 5 (Study 5: Survivor Interview Qualitative Data) focused on understanding how victims characterized the care they received at the focal SANE program as well as their expriences with the criminal justices system. Using prospective sampling and community-based retrospective purposive sampling, twenty adult sexual assault vicitims were identified and interviewed between January 2006 and May 2007. Interviews covered four topics: (1) the rape itself and initial disclosures, (2) victims' experiences with SANE program staff including nurses and victim support advocates, (3) the specific role forensic evidence played in victims' decisions to participate in prosecution, and (4) victims' experiences with law enforcement, prosecutors, and judicial proceedings, and if/how the forensic nurses and advocates influenced those interactions.

Part 6 (Study 6: Forensic Nurse Interview Qualitative Data) examined forensic nurses' perspectives on how the SANE program could affect survivor participation with prosecution indirectly and how the interactions between SANEs and law enforcement could be contributing to increased investigational effort. Between July and August of 2008, six Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs) were interviewed. The interviews explored three topics: (1) the nurses' philosophy on victim reporting and participating in prosecution, (2) their perceptions regarding how patient care may or may not affect victim participation in the criminal justice system, and (3) their perception of how the SANE programs influence the work of law enforcement investigational practices.The interviews explored three topics: (1) the nurses' philosophy on victim reporting and participating in prosecution, (2) their perceptions regarding how patient care may or may not affect victim participation in the criminal justice system, and (3) their perception of how the SANE programs influence the work of law enforcement investigational practices.

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Preventing Repeat Incidents of Family Violence: A Reanalysis of Data From Three Field Tests in Manhattan [New York City], New York, 1987, 1995-1997 (ICPSR 25925)

Released/updated on: 2011-03-21
Geographic coverage: New York City, United States, New York (state)
Time period: 1987-01-01--1987-12-31, 1995-01-01--1997-12-31
In the mid-1980s New York City officials developed an intervention program, the Domestic Violence Intervention Education Project (DVIEP), to reduce repeat incidents of family abuse. The program posited that repeat victimization would decline as victims extracted themselves from self-defeating relationships or by working with social services and criminal justice staff to develop strategies to end the abuse while staying in the relationship. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the DVIEP model in reducing repeat instances of family violence. Between 1987 and 1997, three separate, randomized field experiments in New York City's public housing projects evaluated whether or not the DVIEP program reduced the rate of subsequent victimization. All three studies tested the same intervention model: persons who reported family violence to the police were randomly assigned to receive or not to receive a follow-up visit from a domestic violence prevention police officer and a social worker. For this study, researchers concatenated the micro data from the 3 experiments into a single, 1,037 case dataset that contains identical treatment and control measures, and nearly identical outcome measures. Of the 1,037 total cases in the study, 434 are from the 1987 Domestic Violence Study, 406 are from the Elder Abuse study, EFFECTIVENESS OF A JOINT POLICE AND SOCIAL SERVICES RESPONSE TO ELDER ABUSE IN MANHATTAN [NEW YORK CITY], NEW YORK, 1996-1997 (ICPSR 3130), and 197 are from the Domestic Violence Arrestee Study in Manhattan's Police Services Area 2 (PSA2). The resulting data collection contains a total of 31 variables including which study (1987 Domestic Violence Study, Elder Abuse Study, or Domestic Violence Arrestee Study) the respondent participated in, whether the respondent was part of the experimental group or the control group, whether the respondent received public education or a home visit by a DVIEP team, the number of DVIEP services the respondent used, and whether the respondent completed a final interview with a DVIEP team after six months of tracking. Additionally, variables include the victim's age, whether the perpetrator of domestic abuse was a romantic partner of the victim, the number of incidents reported to the police, the Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS) violence score, and the number of days until the first new incident of domestic abuse.
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Impact of Legal Advocacy on Intimate Partner Homicide in the United States, 1976-1997 (ICPSR 25621)

Released/updated on: 2009-07-10
Geographic coverage: Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Detroit, Indiana, Tucson, Albuquerque, Fort Worth, Cincinnati, Austin, Oakland, San Jose, San Diego, Columbus (Ohio), Memphis, Jacksonville, Arizona, Buffalo, Boston, Pittsburgh, Sacramento, Seattle, El Paso, Nashville, California, Florida, Pennsylvania, Tulsa, Fresno, Illinois, Texas, Portland (Oregon), Georgia, Virginia, Maryland, Indianapolis, Oregon, Virginia Beach, United States, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Cleveland, Washington, Nebraska, Omaha, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Massachusetts, Colorado, Honolulu, Missouri, New Orleans, Phoenix, Denver, Dallas, St. Louis, Wisconsin, District of Columbia, San Antonio, Chicago, Hawaii, Minnesota, Kansas City (Missouri), New York (state), Michigan, Miami, San Francisco, Baltimore, New Mexico, Long Beach, Louisiana, Ohio, Los Angeles, Toledo, Philadelphia, Houston
Time period: 1976-01-01--1996-12-31, 1976-01-01--1997-12-31
This study examined the impacts of jurisdictions' domestic violence policies on violent behavior of family members and intimate partners, on the likelihood that the police discovered an incident, and on the likelihood that the police made an arrest. The research combined two datasets. Part 1 contains information on police, prosecution policies, and local victim services. Informants within the local agencies of the 50 largest cities in the United States were contacted and asked to complete a survey inventorying policies and activities by type and year of implementation. Data from completed surveys covered 48 cities from 1976 to 1996. Part 2 contains data on domestic violence laws. Data on state statutes from 1976 to 1997 that related to protection orders were collected by a legal expert for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
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African American Experience of Sexual Assault in Maryland, 2003-2006 (ICPSR 25201)

Released/updated on: 2009-04-30
Geographic coverage: United States, Maryland
Time period: 2003-01-01--2006-12-31

The purpose of this study was to better understand the problem of sexual assault among African American women in Maryland, assess their use of available resources in response to sexual assault, and explore their use of alternative sources of care. Researchers interviewed 223 female victims of sexual assault (Part 1 and Part 2) between January 2004 and July 2005 and conducted 21 focus groups (Part 3) with sexual assault resource service providers between 2003 and 2006. Criteria for inclusion in the interview component (Part 1 and Part 2) of the study included: African American or Caucasian female, aged 18 and over, resident of Maryland, and victim of sexual assault. There were four streams of recruitment for the interview portion of the study:

  • Victims receiving services at one of 18 rape crisis centers located throughout the state of Maryland;
  • Community outreach sessions conducted by rape crisis center community educators;
  • Through community service providers, including those working in domestic violence centers, forensic nurse examiners (SAFE programs), probation and parole offices, reproductive health centers, county health departments, community services agencies, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and local colleges; and
  • Through three detention centers housing female inmates.

For Part 3 (Focus Group Qualitative Data), rape crisis center representatives and other community service provider representatives received a letter informing them that a focus group was going to be conducted at the end of their study training session and asked them for their participation. Part 1 (Victim Quantitative Data) includes items in the following categories: Personal Demographics, Details of the Sexual Assault, Medical Care, Law Enforcement, Prosecution/Court Process, Sexual Assault Center Services, Other Counseling Services, and Recommendations for Improvement. Part 2 (Victim Qualitative Data) includes responses to selected questions from Part 1. The data are organized by question, not by respondent. Part 3 (Focus Group Qualitative Data) includes questions on the needs of African American women who have been sexually assaulted, whether their needs are different from those of women of other racial/ethnic backgrounds, unique barriers to reporting sexual assault to police for African American women and their treatment by the criminal justice system, unique issues concerning the use of available resources by African American women, such as post-rape medical care and counseling services, and recommendations on how the state of Maryland could improve services for African American women who are the victims of sexual assault.

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Testing the Efficacy of the SANE-SART Programs in Kansas, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, 1997-2001 (ICPSR 20341)

Released/updated on: 2008-10-01
Geographic coverage: United States, Massachusetts, Kansas, New Jersey
Time period: 1997-01-01--2001-12-31
The purpose of the study was to explore the impact of interventions by Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners/Sexual Assault Response Teams (SANE/SART) on the judicial process. The goal was to test the efficacy of SANE/SART programs as a tool in the criminal justice system. The American Prosecutors Research Institute and Boston College tested the hypotheses that SANE/SART exams increase arrest and prosecution rates. The researchers collected case information from SANE/SART, police, and prosecution files in three jurisdictions: Monmouth County (Freehold), New Jersey, Sedgwick County (Wichita), Kansas, and Suffolk County (Boston), Massachusetts. At each study site, the project team randomly selected up to 125 sexual assault cases in which there was a SANE or SART intervention and 125 cases in which there was no SANE/SART intervention from cases that were opened and closed between 1997 and 2001. Comparisons were sought between SANE/SART cases (both SANE only and SANE/SART combined) and non-SANE/SART cases to determine if the intervention predicted the likelihood of certain criminal justice system outcomes. These outcomes included identification/arrest of a suspect, the filing of charges, case disposition, type of penalty, and length of sentence. In addition, researchers collected information on a number of other variables that could impact or mitigate the effect of SANE/SART interventions and case outcomes. The researchers abstracted information from case files maintained by SANE programs, police incident/arrest reports, and prosecution files during intensive five-day site visits. Three standardized records abstraction forms were developed to collect data: (1) the incident form was designed to collect data from police reports and the prosecution files about the actual sexual assault, (2) the case abstraction form was designed to collect prosecution data and case outcome data from the prosecutors' case files, and (3) the SANE/SART data collection form collected information from the SANE/SART files about the SANE/SART intervention. Specific information regarding the evidence collected during the victim's exam, nature of the assault, evidence/forensic kits collected, victim's demeanor, weapon(s) used, number of assailants, and the victim/offender relationship were collected.
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National Prosecutors Survey, 2005 (ICPSR 4600)

Released/updated on: 2007-02-23
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 2005-01-01--2005-12-31
The National Survey of Prosecutors is a biennial survey of chief prosecutors in state court systems. A chief prosecutor is an official, usually locally elected and typically with the title of district attorney or county attorney, who is in charge of a prosecutorial district made up of one or more counties, and who conducts or supervises the prosecution of felony cases in a state court system. Prosecutors in courts of limited jurisdiction, such as municipal prosecutors, were not included in the survey. The survey's purpose was to obtain detailed descriptive information on prosecutors' offices, as well as information on their policies and practices. The data collection instrument was based on questions that were included in the NATIONAL PROSECUTORS SURVEY, 1994 (ICPSR 6785), and added queries on topics of current concern. Variables cover staffing, workload, funding, what type of computer access the office had, whether the office was part of an integrated computerized system with other specific criminal agencies, the use of DNA evidence in plea negotiations of felony trials, which laboratories performed these DNA analyses, juvenile matters, and risks associated with the role of the prosecutor, such as threatening letters or calls, face-to-face assaults, or batter/assaults. The unit of analysis is the district office.
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Evaluation of a Coordinated Community Response to Domestic Violence in Alexandria, Virginia, 1990-1998 (ICPSR 2858)

Released/updated on: 2006-07-13
Geographic coverage: United States, Alexandria, Virginia
Time period: 1990-01-01--1998-12-31
This study was undertaken to evaluate Alexandria, Virginia's Domestic Violence Intervention Program (DVIP), which is a coordinated community response to domestic violence. Specifically, the goals of the study were (1) to determine the effectiveness of DVIP, (2) to compare victims' perceptions of program satisfaction and other program elements between the Alexandria Domestic Violence Intervention Program and domestic violence victim support services in Virginia Beach, Virginia, (3) to examine the factors related to abusers who repeatedly abuse their victims, and (4) to report the findings of attitudinal surveys of the Alexandria police department regarding the mandatory arrest policy. Data were collected from four sources. The first two sources of data were surveys conducted via telephone interviews with females living in either Alexandria, Virginia (Part 1), or Virginia Beach, Virginia (Part 2), who were victims of domestic violence assault incidents in which the police had been contacted. These surveys were designed to describe the services that the women had received, their satisfaction with those services, and their experience with subsequent abuse. For Part 3 (Alexandria Repeat Offender Data), administrative records from the Alexandria Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) were examined in order to identify and examine the factors related to abusers who repeatedly abused their victims. The fourth source of data was a survey distributed to police officers in Alexandria (Part 4, Alexandria Police Officer Survey Data) and was developed to assess police officers' attitudes regarding the domestic violence arrest policy in Alexandria. In four rounds of interviews for Part 1 and three rounds of interviews for Part 2, victims answered questions regarding the location where the domestic violence incident occurred and if the police were involved, their perceptions of the helpfulness of the police, prosecutor, domestic violence programs, hotlines, and shelters, their relationship to the abuser, their living arrangements at the time of each interview, and whether a protective order was obtained. Also gathered was information on the types of abuse and injuries sustained by the victim, whether she sought medical care for the injuries, whether drugs or alcohol played a role in the incident(s), whether the victim had been physically abused or threatened, yelled at, had personal property destroyed, or was made to feel unsafe by the abuser, if any other programs or persons provided help to the victim and how helpful these additional services were, and whether a judge ordered services for the victim or abuser. After the initial interviews, in subsequent rounds victims were asked if they had had any contact with the abuser since the last interview, if they had experienced any major life changes, if their situation had improved or gotten worse and if so how, and what types of assistance or programs would have helped improve their situation. Demographic variables for Part 3 include offenders' race, sex, age at first criminal nondomestic violence charge, and age at first domestic violence charge. Other variables include charge number, type, initiator, disposition, and sentence of nondomestic violence charges, as well as the conditions of the sentences, imposed days, months, and years, effective days, months, and years, type of domestic violence case, victim's relationship to offender, victim's age, sex, and race, whether alcohol or drugs were involved, if children were present at the domestic violence incident, the assault method used by the offender, and the severity of the assault. For Part 4, police officers were asked whether they knew what a domestic violent incident was, whether arresting without a warrant was considered good policy, whether they were in favor of domestic violence policy as a police response, whether they thought domestic violence policy was an effective deterrent, whether officers should have discretion to arrest, and how much discretion was used to handle domestic violence calls. The number and percent of domestic violence arrests made in the previous year, percent of domestic violence calls that involved mutual combat, and the number of years each respondent worked with the Alexandria, Virginia, police department are included in the file. Demographic variables for Part 4 include the age and gender of each respondent.
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Evaluation of Grants to Encourage Arrest Policies for Domestic Violence Cases in the State College, Pennsylvania, Police Department, 1999-2000 (ICPSR 3166)

Released/updated on: 2006-03-30
Geographic coverage: United States, Pennsylvania
This project was an 18-month long research-practitioner partnership to conduct a process evaluation of the State College Police Department's implementation of a grant to encourage arrest policies for domestic violence. The general goals of the process evaluation were to assess how and to what extent the State College Police Department's proposed activities were implemented as planned, based on the rationale that such activities would enhance the potential for increasing victim safety and perpetrator accountability systemically. As part of the grant, the police department sought to improve case tracking and services to victims by developing new specialized positions for domestic violence, including: (1) a domestic violence arrest coordinator from within the State College Police Department who was responsible for monitoring case outcomes through the courts and updating domestic violence policies and training (Part 1, Victim Tracking Data from Domestic Violence Coordinator), (2) a victims service attorney from Legal Services who was responsible for handling civil law issues for domestic violence victims, including support, child custody, employment, financial, consumer, public benefits, and housing issues (Part 2, Victim Tracking Data From Victim Services Attorney), and (3) an intensive domestic violence probation officer from the Centre County Probation and Parole Department who was responsible for providing close supervision and follow-up of batterers (Part 3, Offender Tracking Data). Researchers worked with practitioners to develop databases suitable for monitoring service provision by the three newly-created positions for domestic violence cases. Major categories of data collected on the victim tracking form (Parts 1 and 2) included location of initial contact, type of initial contact, referral source, reason for initial contact, service/consultation provided at initial contact, meetings, and referrals out. Types of services provided include reporting abuse, filing a Protection from Abuse order, legal representation, and assistance with court procedures. Major categories of data collected on the offender tracking form (Part 3) included location of initial contact, type of initial contact, referral source, reason for initial contact, service/consultation provided, charges, sentence received, relationship between the victim and perpetrator, marital status, children in the home, referrals out, presentencing investigation completed, prior criminal history, and reason for termination. Types of services provided include pre-sentence investigation, placement on supervision, and assessment and evaluation. In addition to developing these new positions, the police department also sought to improve how officers handled domestic violence cases through a two-day training program. The evaluation conducted pre- and post-training assessments of all personnel training in 1999 and conducted follow-up surveys to assess the long-term impact of training. For Part 4, Police Training Survey Data, surveys were administered to law enforcement personnel participating in a two-day domestic violence training program. Surveys were administered both before and after the training program and focused on knowledge about domestic violence policies and protocols, attitudes and beliefs about domestic violence, and the background and experience of the officers. Within six months after the training, the same participants were contacted to complete a follow-up survey. Variables in Part 4 measure how well officers knew domestic violence arrest policies, their attitudes toward abused women and how to handle domestic violence cases, and their opinions about training. Demographic variables in Part 4 include age, sex, race, education, and years in law enforcement.
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Impact Evaluation of Stop Violence Against Women Grants in Dane County, Wisconsin, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, Jackson County, Missouri, and Stark County, Ohio, 1996-2000 (ICPSR 3252)

Released/updated on: 2006-03-30
Geographic coverage: United States, Missouri, New Hampshire, Ohio, Wisconsin
In 1996 the Institute for Law and Justice (ILJ) began an evaluation of the law enforcement and prosecution components of the "STOP Violence Against Women" grant program authorized by the Violence Against Women Act of 1994. This data collection constitutes one component of the evaluation. The researchers chose to evaluate two specialized units and two multi-agency team projects in order to study the local impact of STOP on victim safety and offender accountability. The two specialized units reflected typical STOP funding, with money being used for the addition of one or two dedicated professionals in each community. The Dane County, Wisconsin, Sheriff's Office used STOP funds to support the salaries of two domestic violence detectives. This project was evaluated through surveys of domestic violence victims served by the Dane County Sheriff's Office (Part 1). In Stark County, Ohio, the Office of the Prosecutor used STOP funds to support the salary of a designated felony domestic violence prosecutor. The Stark County project was evaluated by tracking domestic violence cases filed with the prosecutor's office. The case tracking system included only cases involving intimate partner violence, with a male offender and female victim. All domestic violence felons from 1996 were tracked from arrest to disposition and sentence (Part 2). This pre-grant group of felons was compared with a sample of cases from 1999 (Part 3). In Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, a comprehensive evaluation strategy was used to assess the impact of the use of STOP funds on domestic violence cases. First, a sample of 1996 pre-grant and 1999 post-grant domestic violence cases was tracked from arrest to disposition for both regular domestic violence cases (Part 4) and also for dual arrest cases (Part 5). Second, a content analysis of police incident reports from pre- and post-grant periods was carried out to gauge any changes in report writing (Part 6). Finally, interviews were conducted with victims to document their experiences with the criminal justice system, and to better understand the factors that contribute to victim safety and well-being (Part 7). In Jackson County, Missouri, evaluation methods included reviews of prosecutor case files and tracking all sex crimes referred to the Jackson County Prosecutor's Office over both pre-grant and post-grant periods (Part 8). The evaluation also included personal interviews with female victims (Part 9). Variables in Part 1 (Dane County Victim Survey Data) describe the relationship of the victim and offender, injuries sustained, who called the police and when, how the police responded to the victim and the situation, how the detective contacted the victim, and services provided by the detective. Part 2 (1996 Stark County Case Tracking Data), Part 3 (1999 Stark County Case Tracking Data), Part 4 (Hillsborough County Regular Case Tracking Data), Part 5 (Hillsborough County Dual Arrest Case Tracking Data), and Part 8 (Jackson County Case Tracking Data) include variables on substance abuse by victim and offender, use of weapons, law enforcement response, primary arrest offense, whether children were present, injuries sustained, indictment charge, pre-sentence investigation, victim impact statement, arrest and trial dates, disposition, sentence, and court costs. Demographic variables include the age, sex, and ethnicity of the victim and the offender. Variables in Part 6 (Hillsborough County Police Report Data) provide information on whether there was an existing protective order, whether the victim was interviewed separately, severity of injuries, seizure of weapons, witnesses present, involvement of children, and demeanor of suspect and victim. In Part 7 (Hillsborough County Victim Interview Data) variables focus on whether victims had prior experience with the court, type of physical abuse experienced, injuries from abuse, support from relatives, friends, neighbors, doctor, religious community, or police, assistance from police, satisfaction with police response, expectations about case outcome, why the victim dropped the charges, contact with the prosecutor, criminal justice advocate, and judge, and the outcome of the case. Demographic variables include age, race, number of children, and occupation. Variables in Part 9 (Jackson County Victim Interview Data) relate to when victims were sexually assaulted, if they knew the perpetrator, who was contacted to help, victims' opinions about police and detectives who responded to the case, contact with the prosecutor and victim's advocate, and aspects of the medical examination. Demographic variables include age, race, and marital status.
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Homicide, Bereavement, and the Criminal Justice System in Texas, 2000 (ICPSR 3263)

Released/updated on: 2006-03-30
Geographic coverage: United States, Texas
Time period: 2000-01-01--2000-12-31
This study assessed the influence of the criminal justice system on the bereavement process of individuals who have lost loved ones to homicide. The primary question motivating this research was: Can the criminal justice system help to heal the harm of the bereaved's loss? The three main goals of this study were to examine: (1) bereaveds' perceptions of and experiences with the criminal justice system and its professionals, (2) the ways criminal justice professionals perceive and manage the bereaved, and (3) the nature of the association between the criminal justice system and bereaveds' psychological well-being. Data were obtained from in-depth interviews conducted in June through December 2000 with two different groups of people. The first group represented individuals who had lost loved ones to murder between 1994 and 1998 in one county in Texas (Parts 1-33). The second group (Parts 34-55) was comprised county criminal justice professionals (murder detectives, prosecutors, criminal court judges, victim's service counselors, and victim's rights advocates). For Parts 1-33, interviewees were asked a series of open-ended questions about the criminal justice system, including how they learned about the death and the current disposition of the murder case. They also were asked what they would change about the criminal justice system's treatment of them. The bereaved were further asked about their sex, age, race, education, marital status, employment status, income, and number of children. Additional questions were asked regarding the deceased's age at the time of the murder, race, relationship to interviewee, and the deceased's relationship to the murderer, if known. For Parts 34-55, respondents were asked about their job titles, years in those positions, number of murder cases handled in the past year, number of murder cases handled over the course of their career, and whether they thought the criminal justice system could help to heal the harm of people who had lost loved ones to murder. All interviews (Parts 1-55) were tape-recorded and later transcribed by the interviewer, who replaced actual names of individuals, neighborhoods, cities, counties, or any other identifiable names with pseudonyms.
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Evaluating a Multi-Disciplinary Response to Domestic Violence in Colorado Springs, 1996-1999 (ICPSR 3282)

Released/updated on: 2006-03-30
Geographic coverage: United States, Colorado, Colorado Springs
The Colorado Springs Police Department formed a nontraditional domestic violence unit in 1996 called the Domestic Violence Enhanced Response Team (DVERT). This unit involved a partnership and collaboration with the Center for the Prevention of Domestic Violence, a private, nonprofit victim advocacy organization, and 25 other city and county agencies. DVERT was unique in its focus on the safety of the victim over the arrest and prosecution of the batterer. It was also different from the traditional police model for a special unit because it was a systemic response to domestic violence situations that involved the coordination of criminal justice, social service, and community-based agencies. This study is an 18-month evaluation of the DVERT unit. It was designed to answer the following research and evaluation questions: (1) What were the activities of DVERT staff? (2) Who were the victims and perpetrators of domestic violence? (3) What were the characteristics of domestic violence-related incidents in Colorado Springs and surrounding jurisdictions? (4) What was the nature of the intervention and prevention activities of DVERT? (5) What were the effects of the intervention? (6) What was the nature and extent of the collaboration among criminal justice agencies, victim advocates, and city and county human services agencies? (7) What were the dynamics of the collaboration? and (8) How successful was the collaboration? At the time of this evaluation, the DVERT program focused on three levels of domestic violence situations: Level I included the most lethal situations in which a victim might be in serious danger, Level II included moderately lethal situations in which the victim was not in immediate danger, and Level III included lower lethality situations in which patrol officers engaged in problem-solving. Domestic violence situations came to the attention of DVERT through a variety of mechanisms. Most of the referrals came from the Center for the Prevention of Domestic Violence. Other referrals came from the Department of Human Services, the Humane Society, other law enforcement agencies, or city service agencies. Once a case was referred to DVERT, all relevant information concerning criminal and prosecution histories, advocacy, restraining orders, and human services documentation was researched by appropriate DVERT member agencies. Referral decisions were made on a weekly basis by a group of six to eight representatives from the partner agencies. From its inception in May 1996 to December 31, 1999, DVERT accepted 421 Level I cases and 541 Level II cases. Cases were closed or deactivated when DVERT staff believed that the client was safe from harm. Parts 1-4 contain data from 285 Level I DVERT cases that were closed between July 1, 1996, and December 31, 1999. Parts 5-8 contain data from 515 Level II cases from 1998 and 1999 only, because data were more complete in those two years. Data were collected from (1) police records of the perpetrator and victim, including calls for service, arrest reports, and criminal histories, (2) DVERT case files, and (3) Center for the Prevention of Domestic Violence files on victims. Coding sheets were developed to capture the information within these administrative documents. Part 1 includes data on whether the incident produced injuries or a risk to children, whether the victim, children, or animals were threatened, whether weapons were used, if there was stalking or sexual abuse, prior criminal history, and whether there was a violation of a restraining order. For Part 2 data were gathered on the date of case acceptance to the DVERT program and deactivation, if the offender was incarcerated, if the victim was in a new relationship or had moved out of the area, if the offender had moved or was in treatment, if the offender had completed a domestic violence class, and if the offender had served a sentence. Parts 3 and 4 contain information on the race, date of birth, gender, employment, and relationship to the victim or offender for the offenders and victims, respectively. Part 5 includes data on the history of emotional, physical, sexual, and child abuse, prior arrests, whether the victim took some type of action against the offender, whether substance abuse was involved, types of injuries that the victim sustained, whether medical care was necessary, whether a weapon was used, restraining order violations, and incidents of harassment, criminal trespassing, telephone threats, or kidnapping. Part 6 variables include whether the case was referred to and accepted in Level I and whether a DVERT advocate made contact on the case. Part 7 contains information on the offenders' race and gender. Part 8 includes data on the victims' date of birth, race, and gender.
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Evaluation of No-Drop Policies for Domestic Violence Cases in San Diego, California, Omaha, Nebraska, Klamath Falls, Oregon, and Everett, Washington, 1996-2000 (ICPSR 3319)

Released/updated on: 2006-03-30
Geographic coverage: Oregon, Omaha, Klameth Falls, San Diego, United States, Everett, California, Washington, Nebraska
Time period: 1996-01-01--2000-12-31
This study sought to examine the effects of no-drop policies on court outcomes, victim satisfaction with the justice system, and feelings of safety. Moreover, researchers wanted to determine whether (1) prosecution without the victim's cooperation was feasible with appropriate increases in resources, (2) implementing a no-drop policy resulted in increased convictions and fewer dismissals, (3) the number of trials would increase in jurisdictions where no-drop was adopted as a result of the prosecutor's demand for a plea in cases in which victims were uncooperative or unavailable, and (4) prosecutors would have to downgrade sentence demands to persuade defense attorneys to negotiate pleas in the new context of a no-drop policy. Statutes implemented in San Diego, California, were designed to make it easier to admit certain types of evidence and thereby to increase the prosecutor's chances of succeeding in trials without victim cooperation. To assess the impact of these statutes, researchers collected official records data on a sample of domestic violence cases in which disposition occurred between 1996 and 2000 and resulted in no trial (Part 1), and cases in which disposition occurred between 1996 and 1999, and resulted in a trial (Part 2). In Everett, Washington (Part 3), Klamath Falls, Oregon (Part 4), and Omaha, Nebraska (Part 5), researchers collected data on all domestic violence cases in which disposition occurred between 1996 and 1999 and resulted in a trial. Researchers also conducted telephone interviews in the four sites with domestic violence victims whose cases resolved under the no-drop policy (Part 6) in the four sites. Variables for Part 1 include defendant's gender, court outcome, whether the defendant was sentenced to probation, jail, or counseling, and whether the counseling was for batterer, drug, or anger management. Criminal history, other domestic violence charges, and the relationship between the victim and defendant are also included. Variables for Part 2 include length of trial and outcome, witnesses for the prosecution, defendant's statements to the police, whether there were photos of the victim's injury, the scene, or the weapon, and whether medical experts testified. Criminal history and whether the defendant underwent psychological evaluation or counseling are also included. Variables for Parts 3-5 include the gender of the victim and defendant, relationship between victim and defendant, top charges and outcomes, whether the victim had to be subpoenaed, types of witnesses, if there was medical evidence, type of weapon used, if any, whether the defendant confessed, any indications that the prosecutor talked to the victim, if the victim was in court on the disposition date, the defendant's sentence, and whether the sentence included electronic surveillance, public service, substance abuse counseling, or other general counseling. Variables for Part 6 include relationship between victim and defendant, whether the victim wanted the defendant to be arrested, whether the defendant received treatment for alcohol, drugs, or domestic violence, if the court ordered the defendant to stay away from the victim, and if the victim spoke to anyone in the court system, such as the prosecutor, detective, victim advocate, defense attorney, judge, or a probation officer. The victim's satisfaction with the police, judge, prosecutor, and the justice system, and whether the defendant had continued to threaten, damage property, or abuse the victim verbally or physically are also included. Demographic variables on the victim include race, income, and level of education.
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Evaluation of a Centralized Response to Domestic Violence by the San Diego County Sheriff's Department Domestic Violence Unit, 1998-1999 (ICPSR 3488)

Released/updated on: 2006-03-30
Geographic coverage: San Diego, United States, California
Time period: 1998-01-01--1999-12-31
This study examined the implementation of a specialized domestic violence unit within the San Diego County Sheriff's Department to determine whether the creation of the new unit would lead to increased and improved reporting, and more filings for prosecution. In order to evaluate the implementation of the specialized domestic violence unit, the researchers conducted the following tasks: (1) They surveyed field deputies to assess their level of knowledge about domestic violence laws and adherence to the countywide domestic violence protocol. (2) They studied a sample from the case tracking system that reported cases of domestic violence handled by the domestic violence unit to determine changes in procedures compared to an earlier case tracking study with no specialized unit. (3) They interviewed victims of domestic violence by phone to explore the responsiveness of the field deputies and the unit detectives to the needs of the victims. Part 1 (Deputy Survey Data) contains data on unit detectives' knowledge about the laws concerning domestic violence. Information includes whether or not the person considered the primary aggressor was the person who committed the first act of aggression, if a law enforcement officer could decide whether or not to complete a domestic violence supplemental report, whether an arrest should be made if there was reasonable cause to believe that a misdemeanor offense had been committed, and whether the decision to prosecute a suspect lay within the discretion of the district or city attorney. Demographic variables include deputy's years of education and law enforcement experience. Part 2 (Case Tracking Data) includes demographic variables such as race and sex of the victim and the suspect, and the relationship between the victim and the suspect. Other information was collected on whether the victim and the suspect used alcohol and drugs prior to or during the incident, if the victim was pregnant, if children were present during the incident, highest charge on the incident report, if the reporting call was made at the same place the incident occurred, suspect actions described on the report, if a gun, knife, physical force, or verbal abuse was used in the incident, if the victim or the suspect was injured, and if medical treatment was provided to the victim. Data were also gathered on whether the suspect was arrested or booked, how the investigating officer decided whether to request that the prosecutor file charges, type of evidence collected, if a victim or witness statement was collected, if the victim had a restraining order, prior history of domestic violence, if the victim was provided with information on domestic violence law, hotline, shelter, transportation, and medical treatment, highest arrest charge, number of arrests for any drug charges, weapon charges, domestic violence charges, or other charges, case disposition, number of convictions for the charges, and number of prior arrests and convictions. Part 3 (Victim Survey Data) includes demographic variables such as victim's gender and race. Other variables include how much time the deputy spent at the scene when s/he responded to the call, number of deputies the victim interacted with at the scene, number of deputies at the scene that were male or female, if the victim used any of the information the deputy provided, if the victim used referral information for counseling, legal, shelter, and other services, how helpful the victim found the information, and the victim's rating of the performance of the deputy.
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Effectiveness of Alternative Victim Assistance Service Delivery Models in the San Diego Region, 1993-1994 (ICPSR 2789)

Released/updated on: 2006-03-30
Geographic coverage: San Diego, United States, California
Time period: 1993-01-01--1994-12-31
This study had a variety of aims: (1) to assess the needs of violent crime victims, (2) to document the services that were available to violent crime victims in the San Diego region, (3) to assess the level of service utilization by different segments of the population, (4) to determine how individuals cope with victimization and how coping ability varies as a function of victim and crime characteristics, (5) to document the set of factors related to satisfaction with the criminal justice system, (6) to recommend improvements in the delivery of services to victims, and (7) to identify issues for future research. Data were collected using five different survey instruments. The first survey was sent to over 3,000 violent crime victims over the age of 16 and to approximately 60 homicide witnesses and survivors in the San Diego region (Part 1, Initial Victims' Survey Data). Of the 718 victims who returned the initial survey, 330 victims were recontacted six months later (Part 2, Follow-Up Victims' Survey Data). Respondents in Part 1 were asked what type of violent crime occurred, whether they sustained injury, whether they received medical treatment, what the nature of their relationship to the suspect was, and if the suspect had been arrested. Respondents for both Parts 1 and 2 were asked which service providers, if any, contacted them at the time of the incident or afterwards. Respondents were also asked what type of services they needed and received at the time of the incident or afterwards. Respondents in Part 2 rated the overall service and helpfulness of the information received at the time of the incident and after, and their level of satisfaction regarding contact with the police, prosecutor, and judge handling their case. Respondents in Part 2 were also asked what sort of financial loss resulted from the incident, and whether federal, state, local, or private agencies provided financial assistance to them. Finally, respondents in Part 1 and Part 2 were asked about the physical and psychological effects of their victimization. Demographic variables for Part 1 and Part 2 include the marital status, employment status, and type of job of each violent crime victim/witness/survivor. Part 1 also includes the race, sex, and highest level of education of each respondent. Police and court case files were reviewed six months after the incident occurred for each initial sample case. Data regarding victim and incident characteristics were collected from original arrest reports, jail booking screens, and court dockets (Part 3, Tracking Data). The variables for Part 3 include the total number of victims, survivors, and witnesses of violent crimes, place of attack, evidence collected, and which service providers were at the scene of the crime. Part 3 also includes a detailed list of the services provided to the victim/witness/survivor at the scene of the crime and after. These services included counseling, explanation of medical and police procedures, self-defense and crime prevention classes, food, clothing, psychological/psychiatric services, and help with court processes. Additional Part 3 variables cover circumstances of the incident, initial custody status of suspects, involvement of victims and witnesses at hearings, and case outcome, including disposition and sentencing. The race, sex, and age of each victim/witness/survivor are also recorded in Part 3 along with the same demographics for each suspect. Data for Part 4, Intervention Programs Survey Data, were gathered using a third survey, which was distributed to members of the three following intervention programs: (1) the San Diego Crisis Intervention Team, (2) the EYE Counseling and Crisis Services, Crisis and Advocacy Team, and (3) the District Attorney's Victim-Witness Assistance Program. A modified version of the survey with a subset of the original questions was administered one year later to members of the San Diego Crisis Intervention Team (Part 5, Crisis Intervention Team Survey Data) and to the EYE Counseling and Crisis Services, Crisis and Advocacy Team (Part 6, EYE Crisis and Advocacy Team Survey Data). The survey questions for Parts 4-6 asked each respondent to provide their reasons for becoming involved with the program, the goals of the program, responsibilities of the staff or volunteers, the types of referral services their agency provided, the number of hours of training required, and the topics covered in the training. Respondents for Parts 4-6 were further asked about the specific types of services they provided to victims/witnesses/survivors. Part 4 also contains a series of variables regarding coordination efforts, problems, and resolutions encountered when dealing with other intervention agencies and law enforcement agencies. Demographic variables for Parts 4-6 include the ethnicity, age, gender, and highest level of education of each respondent, and whether the respondent was a staff member of the agency or volunteer. The fourth survey was mailed to 53 referral agencies used by police and crisis interventionists (Part 7, Service Provider Survey Data). Part 7 contains the same series of variables as Part 4 on dealing with other intervention and law enforcement agencies. Respondents in Part 7 were further asked to describe the type of victims/witnesses/survivors to whom they provided service (e.g., domestic violence victims, homicide witnesses, or suicide survivors) and to rate their level of satisfaction with referral procedures provided by law enforcement officers, hospitals, paramedics, religious groups, the San Diego Crisis Intervention Team, the EYE Crisis Team, and the District Attorney's Victim/Witness Program. Part 7 also includes the hours of operation for each service provider organization, as well as which California counties they serviced. Finally, respondents in Part 7 were given a list of services and asked if they provided any of those services to victims/witnesses/survivors. Services unique to this list included job placement assistance, public awareness campaigns, accompaniment to court, support groups, and advocacy with outside agencies (e.g., employers or creditors). Demographic variables for Part 7 include the ethnicity, age, and gender of each respondent. The last survey was distributed to over 1,000 law enforcement officers from the Escondido, San Diego, and Vista sheriff's agencies (Part 8, Law Enforcement Survey Data). Respondents in Part 8 were surveyed to determine their familiarity with intervention programs, how they learned about the program, the extent to which they used or referred others to intervention services, appropriate circumstances for calling or not calling in interventionists, their opinions regarding various intervention programs, their interactions with interventionists at crime scenes, and suggestions for improving delivery of services to victims. Demographic variables for Part 8 include the rank and agency of each law enforcement respondent.
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Evaluation of Victim Advocacy Services Funded by the Violence Against Women Act in Urban Ohio, 1999 (ICPSR 2992)

Released/updated on: 2006-03-30
Geographic coverage: United States, Ohio
Time period: 1999-01-01--1999-12-31
The focus of this research and evaluation endeavor was on direct service programs in Ohio, particularly advocacy services for female victims of violence, receiving funding through the Services, Training, Officers, Prosecutors (STOP) formula grants under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) of 1994. The objectives of this project were (1) to describe and compare existing advocacy services in Ohio, (2) to compare victim advocacy typologies and identify key variables in the delivery of services, (3) to develop a better understanding of how victim advocacy services are defined and delivered, and (4) to assess the effectiveness of those services. For Part 1, Service Agencies Data, comprehensive information about 13 VAWA-funded programs providing direct services in urban Ohio was gathered through a mailback questionnaire and phone interviews. Detailed information was collected on organizational structure, clients served, and agency services. Focus groups were also used to collect data from clients (Parts 3-11) and staff (Parts 12-23) about their definitions of advocacy, types of services needed by victims, services provided to victims, and important outcomes for service providers. Part 2, Police Officer Data, focused on police officers' attitudes toward domestic violence and on evaluating service outcomes in one particular agency. The agency selected was a prosecutor's office that planned to improve services to victims by changing how the police and prosecutors responded to domestic violence cases. The prosecutor's office selected one police district as the site for implementing the new program, which included training police officers and placing a prosecutor in the district office to work directly with the police on domestic violence cases. The evaluation of this program was designed to assess the effectiveness of the police officers' training and officers' increased access to information from the prosecutor on the outcome of the case. Police officers from the selected district were administered surveys. Also surveyed were officers from another district that handled a similar number of domestic violence cases and had a comparable number of officers employed in the district. Variables in Part 1 include number of staff, budget, funding sources, number and type of victims served, target population, number of victims served speaking languages other than English, number of juveniles and adults served, number of victims with special needs served, collaboration with other organizations, benefits of VAWA funding, and direct and referral services provided by the agency. Variables in Part 2 cover police officers' views on whether it was a waste of time to prosecute domestic violence cases, if these cases were likely to result in a conviction, whether they felt sympathetic toward the victim or blamed the victim, how the prosecution should proceed with domestic violence cases, how the prosecution and police worked together on such cases, whether domestic violence was a private matter, and how they felt about the new program implemented under VAWA.
Curated

Impact of Constitutional and Statutory Protection on Crime Victims' Rights in Four States in the United States, 1995 (ICPSR 2467)

Released/updated on: 2006-03-30
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 1995-01-01--1995-12-31
This survey of crime victims was undertaken to determine whether state constitutional amendments and other legal measures designed to protect crime victims' rights had been effective. It was designed to test the hypothesis that the strength of legal protection for victims' rights has a measurable impact on how victims are treated by the criminal justice system and on their perceptions of the system. A related hypothesis was that victims from states with strong legal protection would have more favorable experiences and greater satisfaction with the system than those from states where legal protection is weak. The Victim Survey (Parts 1, 4-7) collected information on when and where the crime occurred, characteristics of the perpetrators, use of force, police response, victim services, type of information given to the victim by the criminal justice system, the victim's level of participation in the criminal justice system, how the case ended, sentencing and restitution, the victim's satisfaction with the criminal justice system, and the effects of the crime on the victim. Demographic variables in the file include age, race, sex, education, employment, and income. In addition to the victim survey, criminal justice and victim assistance professionals at the state and local levels were surveyed because these professionals affect crime victims' ability to recover from and cope with the aftermath of the offense and the stress of participation in the criminal justice system. The Survey of State Officials (Parts 2 and 8) collected data on officials' opinions of the criminal justice system, level of funding for the agency, types of victims' rights provided by the state, how victims' rights provisions had changed the criminal justice system, advantages and disadvantages of such legislation, and recommendations for future legislation. The Survey of Local Officials (Parts 3 and 9) collected data on officials' opinions of the criminal justice system, level of funding, victims' rights to information about and participation in the criminal justice process, victim impact statements, and restitution.
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