2016 Research Symposium
Victimization, Justice and Healing: From Theory to Practice
Day 1: October 27, 2016
Time / Agenda8:00 – 8:30 AM / Registration
8:30 – 8:45 AM / Welcome
8:45 – 10:00 AM / Keynote:
Victimization, Justice and Healing: From Theory to Practice
Beth E. Molnar, ScD, Associate Professor in the Department of Health Sciences and an Associate Director at the Institute on Urban Health Research and Practice, Northeastern University
10:00 – 10:15 AM / NETWORKING BREAK
10:15 – 11:30 AM / Plenary Session
Moving Towards a More Trauma-Informed Criminal Justice System Response to Victims/Survivors
Leana A. Bouffard, PhD, Director, Crime Victims’ Institute, Huntsville, Texas
Eryn O’Neal, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Criminology, Sam Houston State University
Cortney Franklin, Associate Professor, Dept. of Criminology, Sam Houston State University
11:30 – 11:45 AM / TRANSITION TO LUNCH
11:45 AM – 12:45 PM / LUNCH
12:45 – 2:00 PM / BREAK OUT SESSIONS
Session 1: Firearms and Family Violence: Surrender and Promising Practices
Judge Roberto Cañas, County Criminal Court 10, Dallas TX
Tracy Grinstead-Everly, JD,Public Policy Manager, Texas Council on Family Violence
Session 2: Procedural Fairness
KimPiechowiak, JD, Protective Order Resource Attorney, Texas Office of Court Administration
2:00 – 2:15 PM / NETWORKING BREAK
2:15 – 3:30 PM / BREAK OUT SESSIONS
Session 3: From Research to Practice: A Model for Victim Notification in Cases of Untested Sexual Assault Kits
Caitlin Sulley, LMSW, Research Project Director, School of Social Work’sInstitute on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault, The University of Texas at Austin
Session 4: Cultural Responsive Services to Victims and Communities Faced with Violence: The Importance of Intersectionality
Delida Sanchez, PhD, Assistant Professor, Educational Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin
3:30 – 3:45 PM / NETWORKING BREAK
3:45 – 5:00 PM / Panel - Restorative Justice: Real Research, Real Practice
Moderator: Stephanie Frogge, MTS, Consultant
5:30 – 6:30 PM / TVSA SOCIAL NETWORKING RECEPTION
Day 1: Thursday, October 27, 2016
Keynote: Victimization, Justice and Healing: From Theory to Practice
Opening Keynote will identify key research related to victimization, justice and healing that has influenced our field and its ability to use an evidence-informed approach in our work. Dr. Molnar will draw from her own extensive research as well as her experiences in leadership positions and as a volunteer working with sexual assault survivors. Her remarks highlight past research that influenced the victim services field, and the need for new research, including the importance of addressing the impact serving victims has on criminal justice professionals and victim service practitioners.
Presenter:
Beth Molnar, ScD, Associate Professor, Department of Health Sciences, Associate Director at the Institute on Urban Health Research and Practice, Northeastern University
Plenary Session: Moving Towards a More Trauma-Informed Criminal Justice System Response to Victims/Survivors
This presentation will highlight the important role of criminal justice system actors in their response to victims/survivors and how that response impacts access to and use of services, as well as case processing and outcomes. In particular, the presenters will describe research examining how criminal justice actors (especially police and courts) typically perceive and respond to victims/survivors and how specific training may change those perceptionsand foster a more trauma-informed response to victims/survivors.
Presenters:
Leana A. Bouffard, PhD, Director, Crime Victims’ Institute, Huntsville, Texas
Eryn O’Neal, Assistant Professor, Dept. of Criminology, Sam Houston State University
Cortney Franklin, Associate Professor, Dept. of Criminology, Sam Houston State University
Firearms and Family Violence: Surrender and Promising Practices
Firearms and family violence create a deadly mix, to which a systemic response is critical. It is important that justice system officials implement policies that maximize offender accountability while prioritizing victim safety. Judge Cañas will discuss the procedures he uses in his Dallas court to order the surrender of firearms in domestic violence cases. Ms. Grinstead-Everly will offer suggestions and options for implementation of best practices in other jurisdictions, including the advocate’s integral role.
Presenters:
Judge Roberto Cañas, County Criminal Court #10, Dallas TX
Tracy Grinstead-Everly, JD, Public Policy Manager, Texas Council on Family Violence
Procedural Fairness
Public perception of the justice system is influenced more by how they are treated in the courts than by the outcome of the case. Even if the outcome is fair, a party will often be less satisfied with it if he or she perceives unfair treatment, and is less likely to comply with the decision of the court. This session will provide an overview of the basics of procedural fairness, and offer suggestions for improvement.
Presenter:
KimPiechowiak, JD, Protective Order Resource Attorney, Texas Office of Court Administration
From Research to Practice: A Model for Victim Notification in Cases of Untested Sexual Assault Kits
Over 6,000 untested sexual assault kits (SAKs) were tested by the Houston Police Department from 2011 to 2015. As a part of this effort, researchers engaged in action research with a multidisciplinary team of professionals to develop a victim notification protocol to inform survivors about the results of their SAK testing. Ethical and sensitive methods were used to frame notification with choice, validation, respect, and useful information for victims. The presentation will focus on the evidence-informed model for notification and victim engagement through a research to practice lens.
Presenter:
Caitlin Sulley, LMSW, Director of Strategic Partnerships & Sexual Assault Research Portfolio, Institute on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault, The University of Texas at Austin
Cultural Responsive Services to Victims and Communities Faced with Violence: The Importance of Intersectionality
This workshop will focus on enhancing the cultural responsiveness of services for culturally diverse populations affected by violence. Specifically, we will focus on systemic and cultural barriers faced by marginalized communities and the importance of incorporating their intersecting identities (e.g., race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation) and community’s in outreach and intervention programs (e.g., mental health service providers, law enforcement).
Presenter:
Delida Sanchez, PhD, Assistant Professor, Educational Psychology, The University of Texas at Austin
Panel - Restorative Justice: Real Research, Real Practice
This workshop will provide a brief overview of restorative justice principles and research findings then engage the perspectives of a criminal justice panel. Panelists will talk about their perceptions and experiences with restorative justice as well as their viewpoint for future application.
Moderator: Stephanie Frogge, MTS, Consultant
Day 2: Friday, October 28, 2016
Time / Agenda8:30 – 9:00 AM / Sign in
9:00 – 10:30 AM / Plenary Session
The Neurobiology of Trauma and Criminal Justice: How an Understanding of the Science Behind Trauma Victim Responses can Promote Justice, Empowerment, and Healing
SapanaDonde, PhD, Research Associate, School of Social Work, The Universityof Texas Austin
10:30 – 10:45 AM / NETWORKING BREAK
10:45 – 12:00 AM / Closing Plenary
The National Survey of Victims’ Views on Safety and Justice
Robert Rooks, MSW, Co-Founder & Vice President/Alliance for Safety and Justice
Aswad Thomas, MSW, National Organizer, Alliance for Safety and Justice
Lindsey Linder, JD, Policy Analyst, Texas Criminal Justice Coalition
12:00 -12:30 PM / Wrap up/Evaluations/Adjourn
Day 2: Friday, October 28, 2016
The Neurobiology of Trauma and Criminal Justice: How an understanding of the science behind trauma victim responses can promote justice, empowerment, and healing
Trauma victims often exhibit behavior that appears inconsistent with “being a victim.” This session will expose the underlying neurobiological reasons that cause these behaviors and present a neuroscientific framework to better understand why victim advocates can be, and often are, valuable and vital resources at all stages of the criminal justice process. Tips to further enhance victims’ engagement with the criminal justice system and trauma-informed psychobiological approaches to healing will be discussed.
Presenter:
Sapana D. Donde, PhD, Research Associate, School of Social Work, The University of Texas at Austin
Closing Plenary: Crime Survivors Speak: The National Survey on Victims’Views on Safety and Justice
Crime Survivors Speak is a new, first-of-its-kind national survey regarding the views of crime victims on incarceration. The survey, which interviewed 800 crime survivors across the country, included both victims of non-violent and victims of violent crimes. This plenary will present findings that points to opportunities for reform that align with the needs and perspectives of victims and advance new safety priorities that replace prison waste with crime prevention, survivor support, rehabilitation, and community health.
Presenters:
Robert Rooks, MSW, Co-Founder & Vice President, Alliance for Safety and Justice
Aswad Thomas, MSW, National Organizer, Alliance for Safety and Justice
Lindsey Linder, JD, Policy Analyst, Texas Criminal Justice Coalition
Presenter Bios
Leana Bouffard, PhD, is the Director of the Crime Victims' Institute at Sam Houston State University. Her research interests focus on violence against women, police response to domestic violence, and sexual aggression among college students. She has published 21 peer-reviewed journal articles on victimization related topics. Among other projects, she served as a research partner on an OVC-funded project to conduct an assessment of the legal service needs of crime victims in Texas.
Judge Roberto Cañas is the judge of County Criminal Court #10 which handles only domestic violence cases. He has extensive experience with these cases and has trained other judges both in and outside the United States. The Department of Justice designated his court a Domestic Violence Mentor Court, one of only six in the nation. Judge Cañas serves on the Dallas Mayor’s Task Force on Domestic Violence and on the National Judicial Institute on Domestic Violence.
SapanaDonde, PhD, is a research associatein the School of Social Work at the Universityof Texas at Austin and a licensed clinical psychologist in private practice at Just Mind Counseling in Austin, TX. Dr. Donde received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology fromThe George Washington University in Washington, DC.Her research and clinical interests include theneurobiology of trauma, interpersonal violence, child welfare, trauma-informed mentalhealthservices, and cross-cultural psychology.
Tracy Grinstead-Everly, JD, is the legal Public Policy Manager with the Texas Council on Family Violence, dedicated to developing and promoting laws and policies expanding safer options for family violence survivors. She has been working in the family violence field for over 25 years as a hotline advocate, educator, author, family violence mediator, and community-recognized civil VAWA attorney. Her legislative work, training and technical assistance specialize in the areas of firearms and protective orders.
Cortney Franklin, PhD, is the Assistant Director of the Crime Victims’ Institute at Sam Houston State University. Her research focuses on violence against women, including sexual assault on college campuses, intimate partner violence, and perceptions of sex trafficking victims. Her recent work involves police officer attitudes toward victims of sexual and family violence. She has published more than 30 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters that have appeared in Journal of Interpersonal Violence, Violence Against Women, Criminal Justice and Behavior, and Feminist Criminology.
Stephanie Frogge, MTS, is the former assistant director of the Institute for Restorative Justice at UT-Austin. Currently she coordinates restorative programming on behalf of the Institute as well as a private restorative practitioner. Stephanie has over thirty years’ experience in the area of trauma response, victim services administration, victim assistance and activism, writing and speaking extensively on related topics. She is the former Director of Victim Services for MADD’s National office and a trained mediator.
Lindsey Linder, JD, currently serves as a Policy Analyst at the Texas Criminal Justice Coalition where she utilizes her personal experience as a crime survivor to advocate for criminal justice reform in Texas.Lindseyreceived her B.A. from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and her J.D. with honors from Southern University Law School. During school, Lindsey organized fundraising, community service, and advocacy.
Beth E. Molnar, ScD, a social and psychiatric epidemiologist, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Health Sciences, and an Associate Director at the Institute on Urban Health Research and Practice, at Northeastern University. Her 20 years of research focuses on causes and consequences of family, youth and community violence, child sexual abuse, and community-level prevention of child maltreatment and youth violence. She is President of the Board of the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, and served as a medical advocacy volunteer for seven years. She is the Principal Investigator for the Vicarious Trauma Toolkit Project, designed for first responders and victim service organizations to address vicarious trauma.
Eryn O’Neal, PhD, has worked on projects funded by the National Institute of Justice and the Office for Victims of Crime. Dr. O’Neal’s research examines police and victim decision making in sexual assault (SA) cases, barriers to help-seeking, and case outcomes. Her current work examines officer attitudes toward SA complainants along with victim decision making in intimate partner SA cases. Her research has appeared in Violence Against Women, Feminist Criminology, and Journal of Interpersonal Violence.
Robert Rooks, MSW, is the co-founder and Vice President of Alliance for Safety and Justice where he oversees all of ASJ’s state-based advocacy strategies and campaigns and the Organizing Director of Californians for Safety and Justice. Prior to ASJ, Robert also served as the Criminal Justice Director for the NAACP and a national criminal justice expert working to advance solutions to criminal justice problems through sentencing reform, crime victim advocacy and advancing new safety priorities.
Delida Sanchez, PhD, is licensed psychologist and assistant professor in Educational Psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, where she conducts research on racism and health disparities among diverse Black and Latino populations. Dr. Sanchez has over 15 years experience as a clinician, consultant, and professor in multicultural competencies, particularly around the intersectionality of race, gender and sexual orientation. Her work has been widely published in several peer-reviewed psychological journals and book chapters.
Caitlin Sulley, LMSW, is the Director of Strategic Partnerships and leads the Sexual Assault Research Portfolio at the School of Social Work’s Institute on Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault (IDVSA). She currently oversees research initiatives focused on interpersonal violence, victim-centered practices, and the criminal justice system. She also provides technical assistance around victim-centered practices within the criminal justice and advocacy fields. She has served survivors of sexual assault and family violence in law enforcement and community-based settings.
Aswad Thomas, MSW, currently serves as the National Organizer for the Alliance for Safety and Justice helping to expand the organization’s network of crime survivors to elevate those voices in state and federal policymaking debates. On August 24, 2009, Aswad suffered two near-fatal gunshots to his back, ending his dream of playing professional basketball. He is leading our national advocacy effort to ensure that increased federal dollars from the Victims of Crime Act go to underserved communities.