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You Have Options Guide
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The You Have Options Program and Forensic Experiential Trauma Interview Training 

 

It's Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM) and the goal of SAAM 2015 is to support campuses in creating a culture of prevention and effective, trauma-informed response. One of the ways campuses can do this is by learning about and participating in the You Have Options Program (YHOP). Created by law enforcement for law enforcement, the YHOP focuses on changing two fundamental elements in the law enforcement response to sexual violence: "increasing the number of victims who report to law enforcement, and thoroughly investigating identified offenders for serial perpetration." This victim-centered effort, started by the Ashland, Oregon Police Department, was formalized in 2012 after several years of research and development.During the development process, investigators concluded that "law enforcement benefits when victims are allowed to set the pace and parameters of their case because when a victim feels like a true partner in police efforts, he or she will provide more comprehensive information and participate more fully in the investigative and judicial process. Victims benefit because they are provided with the time they need to make a decision that is right for them, independent of the needs of the criminal justice system."

 

Law enforcement agencies participating in the You Have Options Program believe in providing victims of sexual assault with as much control over their report, and any subsequent criminal investigation, as the law allows and offer victims of sexual assault three reporting options:

  1. Information Only Report - involves no investigation beyond a survivor interview and/or a complete or partial Inquiry into Serial Sexual Assault (ISSA), with the survivor's consent.
  2. Partial Investigation - involves further investigation initiated by law enforcement beyond the victim interview and a complete or partial ISSA and may include additional investigation such as interviewing witnesses or the collection of evidence.
  3. Complete Investigation - involves a full inquiry where all investigative procedures necessary to determine if probable cause exists for a criminal offense have been initiated and completed.

The 2015 YHOP Overview and Implementation Guide (PDF) has the most up-to-date and complete information about the program. Law enforcement agencies wishing to join the YHOP should review this guide, visit the How to Join page, review the 20 Elements of Victim-Centered and Offender-Focused response and read the YHOP Memorandum of Understanding (PDF).

 

In the ABC 20/20 episode, "Campus Confidential," Ashland Police Department Detective Carrie Hull stresses the importance of the investigation in saying, "there's no such thing as a he said/she said. A he said/she said case is a poor investigation." Individuals from participating YHOP agencies receive training in law enforcement options for sexual assault reporting and best practice law enforcement strategies to assist in the identification and investigation of sexual offenders.  Participating agencies are also encouraged to train their personnel in the Forensic Experiential Trauma Interview (FETI) for use in victim interviewing. This interviewing technique reduces the inaccuracy of information obtained during the interview process and enables investigators to understand how victims, due to the impacts of trauma on the brain, behavior and memory, experienced their assaults and recorded them into memory.

 

You may contact Carrie Hull, Program Manager, for more information on the You Have Options Program or Forensic Experiential Trauma Interview training. 
10 Ways to Participate

National PrepareAthon Day


April 30 th is National PrepareAthon Day, part of the larger America PrepareAthon campaign, a grassroots effort for action to increase community preparedness and resilience. National PrepareAthon Day focuses on taking proactive measures to prepare for six different natural hazards: earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, tornados, wildfires, and winter storms.

 

PrepareAthon has four overarching campaign goals aimed at increasing the number of individuals who:

  1. Understand which disasters could happen in their community
  2. Know what to do to be safe and mitigate damage
  3. Take action to increase their preparedness
  4. Participate in community resilience planning

PrepareAthon has a number of resources available to help you get involved including:

  • A webinar: "Building a More Resilient Nation: National Preparedness Month and America's PrepareAthon!" which can be viewed here 
  • Fact sheets, PowerPoint, a resource catalog, talking points, FAQs, and more, all available via FEMA's PrepareAthon collection 
  • Follow PrepareAthon via Twitter to stay in the conversation @PrepareAthon
  • Email to stay in touch at prepareathon@fema.gov 
You can register your activities and participate in online discussions forums by creating an account at America's PrepareAton.

Professional Development Opportunities

 

Title: 2015 National Center for Victims of Crime Webinar Series: Neurobiology of Trauma

Host: The National Center for Victims of Crime 

Location: Online 

Fee: $85 per webinar
Information and Registration
  • April 29, 2015 at 3: 30 PM EDTNeural Mechanisms of Mindfulness and How They are Relevant to Trauma
  • May 1, 2015 at 2:00 PM EDT: Voluntary Intoxication - It's Not Consent For Sex You Know 
  • August 4, 2015 at 2:00 PM EDT: The Neurobiology of Trauma: Implications for Interviewing Victims of Sexual Assault
  • TBD: Male Sexual Assault Victims - The Pain Behind the Mask(ulinity)   

Title: 6th Annual Standards of Good Practice Institute - Beyond the Basics of Health, Safety, Security and Risk Management: Understanding Stress Responses to Improve Emergency Preparedness 

HostThe Forum on Education Abroad       

Date: May 30, 2015  

Location: Cambridge, MA  

Fee: Registration Fee

Information and Registration 

 

Title: Title IX, VAWA, and Threat Assessment Training 

Host: EduRisk by United Educators 

Fee: Registration Fee (individual and group available; discount for UE members) 

Information and Registration 

  • June 18-19, 2015: Baltimore, MD
  • July 28-29, 2015: Boston, MA
  • October 8-9, 2015: Chicago, IL
  • November 3-4, 2015: Atlanta, GA
This project was supported by Grant No. 2013-MU-BX-K011 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the US Department of Justice.
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