United States
This webinar will highlight the importance of conducting a trauma-informed interview of a victim of sexual assault. Trauma-informed investigative interviews provide an opportunity to not only meet investigative objectives and help close cases, but also foster victim healing and engagement with the criminal justice system. Research indicates a sexual assault survivor's experience and interaction with law enforcement impacts the level of future engagement with the criminal justice system.
The presenter will not only discuss the benefit of a trauma-informed interview, but also techniques for conducting the actual interview and considerations for training associated with understanding trauma as applied to sexual assault victims. These techniques and considerations for engaging survivors of sexual assault from a trauma-informed, victim-centered perspective support recommendations #2 and #22 of the National Institute of Justice's National Best Practices for Sexual Assault Kits: A Multidisciplinary Approach.