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    Balancing Collaboration, Confidentiality and Privilege on Human Trafficking Cases - Webinar 2

    Event Type: 
    Training Delivery - Webinar
    Thursday Jun 18, 2015 - 02:30pm to 04:00pm EDT
    Event Description: 

    The prevalence of human trafficking across the country is widespread—spanning small, rural jurisdictions to sprawling cities—and affects both domestic and foreign-born children and adults. Because of the coercive and violent nature of human trafficking, it is common for victims to experience overlapping forms of victimization, particularly domestic violence and sexual assault. Yet, many survivors are unrecognized, criminalized, or do not receive adequate services to address their complex needs. How can multidisciplinary groups work together to identify survivors and direct them to services? How can key stakeholders enhance their capacity and collaboration to meet survivors' needs? This five-part webinar series offers strategies, practical tips, case studies, and resources to help domestic violence and sexual assault service providers improve outcomes for human trafficking survivors. Each webinar highlights models for potential replication and features local and national subject matter experts.

    Learning Objectives:

    • Understand the overlap between human trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual assault;
    • Identify effective collaboration strategies that leverage culturally specific resources on behalf of survivors;
    • Explore ways to effectively engage the justice system and community stakeholders and sustain involvement;
    • Consider examples of partnerships to build agency capacity and enhance victim identification;
    • Learn about examples of successful law enforcement collaborations;
    • Identify court-based strategies to address the needs of trafficking victims and understand the role and significance of the court and judicial leadership in developing a response to human trafficking; and
    • Explore strategies for promoting collaboration while protecting confidentiality.

     

    Program Areas: 
    Crime Prevention
    Law Enforcement
    Victims of Crime
    Groups audience: 
    - Private group -
    May 26, 2015

    Please join the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) Training and Technical Assistance Center (TTAC) on May 28 from 2:30 to 4:00 p.m. EDT for the “Getting Out of the Box: The Key Ingredients to Cultivate Collaboration” webinar. This webinar is the first in the five-part webinar series, , that offers strategies, practice tips, case studies, and resources to help domestic violence and sexual assault service providers improve outcomes for human trafficking survivors. Each webinar highlights models for potential replication and features local and national subject matter experts.

    The prevalence of human trafficking across the country is widespread—spanning small, rural jurisdictions to sprawling cities—and affects both domestic and foreign-born children and adults. Because of the coercive and violent nature of human trafficking, it is common for victims to experience overlapping forms of victimization, particularly domestic violence and sexual assault. Yet many survivors are unrecognized, criminalized, or do not receive adequate services to address their complex needs. This webinar series, which will run through September 2015, seeks to address how multidisciplinary groups can work together to identify survivors and direct them to services.

    View the other webinars in the series.

    Human Trafficking, Domestic Violence, and Sexual Assault: Strategies to Strengthen Community Collaboration to Respond to Survivors’ Needs – Webinar 1

    May 18, 2015

    The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) recently announced the National Body-Worn Camera (BWC) Toolkit. The National BWC Toolkit is a clearinghouse for criminal justice practitioners interested in planning and implementing a body-worn camera program in an effort to strengthen community trust and confidence in the justice system and improve officer and community safety. The toolkit consolidates and translates research, promising practices, templates, and tools that have been developed by high-quality experts. Areas of the toolkit’s focus include procurement considerations; training needs; implementation requirements; retention issues; policy concerns; interests of prosecutors and domestic violence, victim and privacy advocates; community engagement; and funding considerations. Input for the toolkit came from a BWC Expert Panel convened February 26-27 that consisted of law enforcement leaders, recognized criminal justice practitioners, national policy leaders, and community advocates. The toolkit can be accessed at www.bja.gov/bwc.

    BJA has also announced the Body-Worn Camera Pilot Implementation Program Solicitation Webinar. During this webinar, Mike Roosa and Carmen Facciolo, Policy Advisors at BJA, will review all categories of the Body-Worn Camera Pilot Implementation Program Solicitation including eligibility, funding metrics, rules, matching requirements, and appropriate use of funds. This competitive solicitation is for law enforcement agencies seeking to establish or enhance BWC Policy and Implementation Programs (PIP). Additionally, this solicitation seeks applications for one national training and technical assistance (TTA) provider to build national capacity in support of recommended BWC policy.

    Body-Worn Camera Pilot Implementation Program Solicitation Webinar

    Evidence Based Policymaking: Lessons from the Field

    Event Type: 
    Training Delivery - Webinar
    Wednesday May 20, 2015 - 03:00pm to 04:30pm EDT
    Event Description: 

    Over the last decade, justice and human service agencies have been under growing pressure to demonstrate that interventions and programs are not only effective but provide a solid return on investment.  With a mounting body of science that shows which interventions work; decision makers are increasingly focused on how to best integrate this knowledge into program interventions, management strategies and funding decisions.  

    Evidence Based Policy Making: Lessons from the Field will take a close look at the Evidence-based Policymaking: A Guide for Effective Government report from the Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative and highlight two examples from the field.   Speakers from New Mexico and Massachusetts will discuss how their states have used evidence to inform funding and practice decisions; ultimately changing how justice and human service interventions are administered across their respective states.

    Pew Speakers
    •  Torey Silloway, research manager, Pew-MacArthur Results First Initiative
    •  Ashleigh Holand, manager, state policy, The Pew Charitable Trusts

    State Speakers
    • Maria Griego, program evaluator, New Mexico Legislative Finance Committee
    • Lisa Sampson , director, Research and Policy Analysis Division, Office of Grants and Research, Executive Office of Public Safety and Security

     

     

    Groups audience: 
    - Private group -
    May 11, 2015

    The Department of Justice (DOJ), as well as state, local, tribal, public safety agencies, and national organizations have collaborated on an effort to establish the Public Safety Officers’ Benefits (PSOB) programs. These programs provide death and education benefits to survivors of fallen law enforcement officers, firefighters, and other first responders. Additionally, PSOB programs can provide disability benefits to officers catastrophically injured in the line of duty. The Bureau of Justice Assistance PSOB Office is honored to review the nearly 700 claims submitted each year on behalf of America’s fallen and catastrophically disabled public safety heroes and their loved ones. Click here for more information, including how to file death, disability, and education claims.

    April 30, 2015

    The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) National Training and Technical Assistance Center (NTTAC) is seeking responses to a request for proposal (RFP) to provide technical assistance (TA) to BJA. Through this RFP, BJA NTTAC will commission a white paper to examine the current use of risk assessment in sentencing at the state and local judiciary levels. Although case studies do exist that describe some sites’ use of risk assessment, BJA seeks a more comprehensive understanding of existing practices. The selected provider will have demonstrated knowledge, skills, and abilities to produce a comprehensive review of risk assessment use in state and local judicial decisionmaking, in addition to the expertise necessary to translate the information gathered.

    The white paper will increase BJA’s understanding of how risk information is used in state and local sentencing. Based on the analysis of existing tools, the white paper will also offer guidance on how to use the information collected through risk assessment tools. The final product will be a critical tool for BJA as it explores risk assessment policies and procedures, and the paper may be used to inform BJA funding priorities and strategies.

    All responses must be submitted by 5:00 p.m. EDT on May 22, 2015. For information on the objectives, the TA deliverables, the instructions to apply, and the criteria used to evaluate each response, see the attachments below. If you have any questions, please contact BJA NTTAC Coordinator, James Lah at BJANTTAC@ojp.usdoj.gov or 1-833-872-5174.

    Technical Assistance to the Bureau of Justice Assistance RFP Announcement 

    Response to RFP Template

    April 24, 2015

    By Tara Kunkel, BJA Visiting Fellow and Principal Court Management Consultant, National Center for State Courts

    When Joseph Coronato became Ocean County’s (NJ) prosecutor in March 2013, he saw eight opioid overdose fatalities in just seven days. All the victims were 28 years old or younger. Coronato began researching ways to abate the problem and found law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts that had implemented naloxone programs. Naloxone, also known as Narcan, is a potentially lifesaving drug that can effectively restore breathing to a victim in the midst of a heroin or other opioid overdose. Because local police officers are often the first to arrive on the scene of these overdoses, they play a critical role in preventing overdose incidents from becoming fatalities by administering naloxone. Coronato resolved to equip Ocean County patrol officers with naloxone, using a policy modeled off those in Massachusetts.

    In April 2014, Ocean County started a pilot program. The program was funded with Coronato’s forfeiture money because he felt “there is no better use of recovered drug money than saving a drug addict’s life.”

    In June 2014, New Jersey adopted a statewide naloxone program and has since trained 496 law enforcement agencies in naloxone administration, and currently over 488 law enforcement agencies are carrying naloxone. In just the first three months of 2015, law enforcement agencies in New Jersey documented 388 naloxone deployments.1 

    New Jersey’s statewide adoption of naloxone did not come without challenges, which included resistance from police officers and funding considerations. But they’ve also learned the importance of creating a network between local leaders and sharing information about naloxone use with the communities they protect. “We are working to change the face of addiction,” stated Sgt. Adam Polhemus of the New Jersey State Police. “We see the sheer extent of the opioid problem and the amount of individuals that are opioid-dependent. We want people to see that these addicts come from all races, religions, and means and need intervention to rid themselves of the disease.”

    New Jersey’s experience reflects opioid overdose trends in many states across the country. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drug overdoses claim 120 American lives daily.2 Each day another 6,748 individuals are treated in emergency departments for the misuse or abuse of drugs.3 The opioid overdose crisis touches – and devastates – the lives of Americans from every state, in every region, and from every background and walk of life.

    In October 2014, the U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder announced the release of the Department of Justice’s Law Enforcement Naloxone Toolkit, remarking that, “expanding the availability of naloxone has the potential to save the lives, families, and futures of countless people across the nation.” The online toolkit is a one-stop clearinghouse of information and resources for state, local, and tribal law enforcement agencies interested in establishing a naloxone program. The toolkit includes over 80 resources from 30 contributing law enforcement and public health agencies. The Law Enforcement Naloxone Toolkit was developed following the U.S. Attorney General’s law enforcement and naloxone expert advisory panel held on July 31, 2014. The advisory panel included leaders from the law enforcement and public health community, academia, and federal government, and provided guidance and input on the content included in the toolkit.

    The toolkit includes sample data collection forms, standard operating procedures, law enforcement training guides, community outreach materials, and memoranda of agreement – all of which have been used in other law enforcement agencies and can be downloaded by agencies and customized for re-use. Technical assistance is available, upon request, to assist law enforcement agencies in implementing or enhancing a naloxone program. For rural areas interested in adopting naloxone, the Federal Office of Rural Health Policy recently released the Rural Opioid Overdose Reversal Grant Program. The one year program will fund efforts that will focus on preventing opioid overdose in rural areas. The deadline to apply is June 8, 2015. For more information on this funding opportunities, please click here. Additional funding opportunities are included in the toolkit.

    For New Jersey, its work on abating opioid use doesn’t end there. As New Jersey’s naloxone program matures, New Jersey’s Drug Monitoring Initiative will collect and analyze reports from each administration of naloxone and will use this data to design effective treatment and prevention programs. The state is also considering strategies to coordinate long-term treatment for opioid addicts to break the cycle of addiction and stem the opioid epidemic.

    To access the free Department of Justice’s Law Enforcement Naloxone Toolkit, visit www.bja.gov/naloxone. Users with specific questions not answered in the toolkit or who would like to request technical assistance can click on the “Need Assistance or Have a Question?” button on www.bja.gov/naloxone and complete the form.

     

    1New Jersey Regional Operations Intelligence Center. Statewide Naloxone Deployments (March, 2015)

    2Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Vital Statistics System mortality data. (2015) Available from URL: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/deaths.htm

    3Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Highlights of the 2011 Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN) findings on drug-related emergency department visits. The DAWN Report. Rockville, MD: US Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration; 2013. 

    Topic: 
    Law Enforcement Training
    Resource Type: 
    Policy/Procedure
    Contributor: 
    State of New Jersey
    Date: 
    October, 2014
    Downloads: 
    PDF icon NJ_Attorney_General Law_Enforcement_Directive.pdf

    This directive, issued by the New Jersey Acting Attorney General, includes guidance on statewide training and arrest procedures related to drug overdose responses.

    March 29, 2015

    By Sabrina Rhodes, Project Specialist, International Association of Chiefs of Police

    Arresting parents of children is common in the day-to-day duties of police officers. These arrests can, and often do, have significant and lasting negative effects on children, whether they witness the arrest or not. When a parent is arrested, children often experience stress, which may develop into psychological trauma. A growing body of research links parental arrest to worse life outcomes for children, including higher risks for alcoholism and drug use; depression and suicide; domestic violence; health-related problems; and criminal behavior.[1] The good news is that by implementing the right strategies, the devastating effects of parental arrests can be minimized.

    But how can law enforcement help? And, what is the scope of the problem? The data on how many children are present at the time of parental arrest is unavailable because such data is not typically captured in arrest reports. However, we do know that over 1.7 million children in the United States have a parent in prison, and this doesn’t include the number of parents in jail.[2]

    The best outcomes for children come from connecting with caring, responsible, adults. Police officers can be this powerful protective factor that decreases the potential harmful effects of parental arrest on children. Officers play a critical role in re-establishing safety and security for children, both physically and psychologically. They can provide an external sense of control, which can help a child recover faster in that moment.

    Consider these eight strategies to lessen the potential harmful effects of parental arrest on children and youth:

    1. Ask the arrestee if he or she is a parent of a child who would need arrangements for supervision because of the arrest, including children who may not be present at the time.

    2. Question and handcuff the parent out of sight and sound of the child.

    3. Don’t leave the arrest scene until the child/youth is with a caregiver.

    4. If another parent is not available to care for the child, give the arrested parent an opportunity to select and contact a caregiver, unless there is a compelling reason not to do so (e.g., the arrest is for child abuse or neglect).

    5. Run background and child welfare checks on identified caregivers to ensure they are capable.

    6. If appropriate, give the parent an opportunity to reassure the child and explain what is happening. If that isn’t possible, take the time to explain to the child what is happening, using age-appropriate language.

    7. Ask the parent about items that provide comfort to the child, such as toys, blankets, photographs, or food that can be taken with them.

    8. If there are children that are not present, discuss with the parent how the child will be picked up and by whom.[3]

    Law enforcement agencies can access more tips by downloading the cost-free International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s (BJA) Safeguarding Children of Arrested Parents Model Policy. In addition, a roll call video will soon be available demonstrating how police officers can put these and other best practices in action.

    For more information on the IACP/BJA’s Safeguarding Children of Arrested Parents initiative and no-cost resources and training for law enforcement and allied stakeholders, refer to two webinars hosted on IACP's website that were conducted in partnership with BJA NTTAC: "Protecting Children of Arrested Parents: Using a Trauma-Informed Approach" and "Safeguarding Children of Arrested Parents During Investigative and Tactical Operations." In addition, you can visit http://www.theiacp.org/cap or contact Sabrina Rhodes at 1-800-THE-IACP, extension 831, or at iacpyouth@theiacp.org.

     

    [1] Ginny Puddefoot and Lisa Foster, Keeping Children Safe When Their Parents are Arrested: Local Approaches That Work (California Research Bureau, July 2007).

    [2] U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Special Report, Parents in Prison and Their Minor Children, revised March 30, 2010, http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/ pptmc.pdf (accessed April 15, 2014).

    [3] U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Assistance, Safeguarding Children of Arrested Parents, International Association of Chiefs of Police (August 2014).

    March 10, 2015

    Please join the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) webinar, Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation (BCJI) Program – FY 2015 Funding Overview, on Thursday, March 12 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. EST. During this webinar, speakers will cover background of the core elements of BCJI and provide an overview of the fiscal year 2015 funding opportunity. Prior to the webinar, participants are encouraged to read the new solicitation. Participants will also have the opportunity to ask questions during the presentation.

    BCJI supports data-driven, research-informed, and community-oriented strategies to address targeted crime issues in neighborhoods. Applications are due April 20, 2015 for fiscal year 2015 grants in the categories of planning and implementation.

    More information about the BCJI Program.

    Byrne Criminal Justice Innovation Program - FY 2015 Funding Overview

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