How Palm Beach County Created a Victim Centered Response Nicole Bishop, Director PBC Victim Services Carol Messam-Gordon, SART Team Supervisor Sharon Daugherty, Grant Coordinator Julie Weil, Survivor Advocate
Julie s Story To see her in action, Julie Weil looks like an everyday mom. Her life story though, is far more complicated.
How Palm Beach County established a Victim Centered Response through the formation of a SART/SANE Program What a SART is and how it benefits victims, responders and your community How to form a SART or better utilize an already established one
A SART is a community-wide multidisciplinary coordinating group that promotes a comprehensive response to sexual violence. SART s benefit communities by: Ensuring victims have the best and most comprehensive services available Helping bring perpetrators to justice Providing a forum for discussion and problem solving for service providers, investigators, and prosecutors Assisting communities in creating coherent and effective protocols Informing professionals about emerging technologies in forensic science, including toxicology and biology (DNA) where there are continuing advances and improvements in the techniques and processes being employed Sexual Assault Survivors Palm Beach County Health Department P.B.S.O. Crime Lab Law Enforcement Palm Beach County SART Medical Service Providers State Attorney s Office PBC Victim Services & Rape Crisis Center Improving communication and fostering a good working relationship amongst agencies
Create support for victims during invasive medical procedures, difficult interviews and as they navigate the criminal justice system. Designate specific facilities for forensic medical exams that make timely responses a priority and offer victims privacy. Ensure that medical and legal providers collect evidence effectively and follow a chain of custody so that it stands up in court. Build a network of community referrals to meet victims' practical, emotional, spiritual, and economic needs (e.g., temporary shelter, transportation, employment intervention, home security, assistance with restitution and victims' compensation claims). Minimize the retraumatization of victims, often through joint or coordinated interviews to reduce the number of times victims must tell their stories.
How Do SARTs Help Responders? Better informed decisions through an understanding of cross-agency roles. More efficient use of limited resources. Improved interagency responses based on victim-identified needs and state-ofthe-art investigative practices. Seamless service referrals. Safer communities through sexual assault prevention education.
Assaults are reported more quickly and victims better informed and engaged throughout the criminal justice process. Yield more evidence on average than cases in which no SANE or SART intervention occurs. Are the strongest predictor that charges will be filed in sexual assault cases with adult female victims and are more likely to lead to arrest than cases in which there is no intervention.
Julie highlighted in article in PB Post Met with local lawmakers who contacted Victim Services, LE, SAO, Service Providers Planning Team developed Funding Established Started Regular monthly meetings
Step 1: Initiate SART Step 5: Develop Protocol Step 2: Establish Commitment Step 6: Implement Protocol Step 3: Get Organized Step 4: Collect Baseline Data Step 7: Evaluate and Revise Protocol Step 8: Keep it Going!
SART Committee Protocol First Responder Protocol Hospital Protocol for Sexual Assault (SANE & Non SANE response) LE General Orders Victim Advocate Protocol Forensic Testing Protocol Dispatch & First Responder Protocol Walk in their Shoes Protocol SANE Protocol
Roll Call Training First Responder Training Block Training SART DVD on website Funding attendance for SART team at conferences Strategic Planning for Members