Resource Library

Every year, 3-4 million women in the U.S. are abused by an intimate partner, and as many as 1,600 are killed by their abusers. Identifying the level of danger facing a victim is a persistent challenge. Several factors are associated with an increased risk of homicide—in particular, the co-occurrence of sexual violence and strangulation. Trauma-informed investigations and evidence-based prosecutions are essential to the identification of these co-occurring crimes, safety planning with survivors, and offender accountability.  This webinar will focus on the signs and symptoms of strangulation injury; common dynamics and prevalence of intimate partner sexual violence; and the importance of documentation, safety planning, and collaboration with advocates and medical experts. The presenter will discuss risk factors and assessment, as well as investigative and legal considerations in these cases.

This BWJP webinar offers ways in which interviews with traumatized individuals can be structured to prevent re-victimization and vicarious trauma (2016).

This BWJP webinar explores the history of interrogation techniques and discusses efficacy and shortfalls in current interview strategies (2017).

This BWJP PowerPoint details the types of protective orders in Texas, and how to ensure victims receive the necessary protective order from their abusers (2019).

The International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) provides a resource library for police response to violence against women, which includes tools, policies, and resources to assist law enforcement in responding effectively to human trafficking, sexual assault, domestic and sexual violence by police officers, stalking, strangulation, domestic violence, and other crimes of intimate partner violence (2019).

Andrea Zaferes is a medicolegal death investigator who specializes in the handling of aquatic cases from the crime scene to the courtroom. Recognized in multiple jurisdictions and by the U.S. Army as an expert witness in bodies-found-in-water and aquatic death investigations, Zaferes has trained dive teams, law enforcement, medical examiners, and many others for over 30 years. A member of the Women Divers Hall of Fame, Andrea is also an author, public speaker, and a regular presenter at the Conference on Crimes Against Women. This episode focuses on Aquatic Abuse Homicide– cases that often appear at first as tragic accidents, aquatic homicide is a pattern of homicidal activity that occurs more often than one might realize. Today, aquatic homicide is a well-honed field of investigation that requires both specific training and crime scene methodology. Content warnings for this episode include: Physical violence, child abuse, sexual violence, drug/alcohol abuse, suicide/self-harm (2020).

The first episode of the Podcast on Crimes Against Women features originally scheduled 2020 Conference Keynote Speaker Amy Herman, author, attorney, and art historian, whose ground-breaking work in the study of visual perception through art became a method of investigation for law enforcement and launched a movement she describes as The Art of Perception. The recent publication of her book “Visual Intelligence: Sharpen Your Perception, Change Your Life” enables people to see what matters in order to better investigate crimes and criminal behavior resulting in better outcomes from investigation. In this episode, Herman reveals how examining works of art can sharpen observation, analysis, and communication skills by revealing our implicit biases. Content warnings for this episode include: violence, abuse (2020).

This Futures Without Violence webinar focuses on trafficking in rural areas, and how collaboration can facilitate more effective investigations and prosecution. (2016).

This article discusses obstacles to reporting sexual assault in rural areas and the need for more research concerning sexual assault in these communities (2009).

This survey details the number of stalking cases per year in one's specific department, and how to best help victims of stalking escape/safety plan.