This resource details tangible ways to support victim defendants within community-based domestic violence programs, as well as the criminal legal system. The list was co-created by legal advocates participating in the fatality review for legal advocates.
- Build a partnership with public defenders in your area to provide training on victim defendants and set-up a referral process
- Conduct a court watch in your area and create “report cards” for prosecutor’s treatment of survivors
- Include victim defendants and criminalized survivors in your organization’s materials
- Brochures and website- outreach materials
- Explicitly list services available- especially under legal advocacy supports
- Start a support group in a jail or prison, or a group for survivors with a criminal history
- Map resources for incarcerated people in your community and build partnerships. For instance, connect with re-entry programs in your community to provide training on victim defendant issues and set-up referral process
- Learn more about the Survivors FIRST program and explore whether you could do something similar with a prosecutor in your community
- Ask survivors about their experiences with being arrested and charged- this could be a small question on your intake or incorporated into advocacy over a certain time period to gather more information about the survivors you are working with
- Write letters to incarcerated survivors- letter writing campaign or sessions
- Work with a jail or prison in your area to set-up a way for survivors to confidentially access your services (this is guaranteed under PREA if you are a dual agency)
- Explore training on how to quash warrants and other legal issues faced by survivors with criminal charges
- Train your local law enforcement agency on victim defendants experiences and create a referral process
- Work with a substance use treatment agency in your area to train them on victim defendant issues and partner with your agency for advocacy and support
- Conduct the organizational self-assessment for supporting criminalized survivors from Survived and Punished
- Is there a way to have law enforcement reach out to your program to provide immediate access to resources for survivors following a 911 call or police response? Brainstorm solutions within your organization’s capacity
- Create “know your rights” resources for survivors who may be arrested or charged as victim defendants
- Change the message in your community around who is a survivor and the experiences of victim defendants- explicitly debunk the “perfect victim” archetype in a public awareness campaign
- If your program has “conflict out” policies for people with certain convictions or a “first come first serve” policy, review these policies and brainstorm how they can be modified to better serve victim defendants