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This module provides an in-depth overview on Sexual Assault Response and Resource Teams (SARRTs) specifically for rural and remote communities. This course will provide you with much of the same information for developing and implementing a SARRT that you will find in EVAWI 8: Sustaining a Coordinated Community Response: Sexual Assault Response and Resource Teams (SARRT). As a result, we would recommend that you complete one or the other but not both. Please note, to access the interactive version of this module (which includes review and test questions, and audio/video components), please visit http://olti.evawintl.org

This module is a more in-depth version of EVAWI 13: Breaking Down Barriers: The Role of Community-Based and System-Based Advocates. This course is recommended for victim advocates, but other professionals are more than welcome to take this course as well. The course material is essentially the same in both EVAWI 12 and EVAWI 13, so we suggest completing one or the other and not both. Please note, to access the interactive version of this module (which includes review and test questions, and audio/video components), please visit http://olti.evawintl.org

The training is especially focused on clarifying the similarities and differences between community-based victim advocates and system-based victim advocates, terms that are defined in the module. Please note, to access the interactive version of this module (which includes review and test questions, and audio/video components), please visit http://olti.evawintl.org

The purpose of this module is to increase understanding of the forensic compliance provisions in the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). This module is primarily directed at criminal justice and allied professionals who address sexual assault within their community, region or state.

This module is written from a law enforcement perspective, providing information and guidance for first responders as well as investigators and even prosecutors. However, it is intended to be equally helpful for others whose work intersects with the criminal justice system, to ensure that people with disabilities who are victimized have equal access to information, programs, and services – and that they are treated with fairness, compassion, and respect. Everyone involved in the criminal justice and community response system plays a critical role in providing that access and fair treatment. Please note, to access the interactive version of this module (which includes review and test questions, and audio/video components), please visit http://olti.evawintl.org

This comprehensive module explores the complex role of DNA in a sexual assault investigation, including the alternative sources of DNA evidence and their potential significance or impact on a sexual assault investigation. A number of resources and tools are provided, along with a series of complex and interactive case examples.

In July 2015, USA Today published the results of an “exclusive nationwide count,” which indicated that hundreds of thousands of sexual assault kits and associated evidence were being stored by law enforcement without ever being submitted for analysis.1 Each kit was seen as a missed opportunity for justice – another survivor failed by the system, another rapist free to re-perpetrate. The article opens with the story of Joanie Scheske, whose rapist was identified 18 years following her sexual assault, when evidence in another case was finally tested. That evidence remained in police storage for eight years, and Scheske could not understand why.

This module provides guidance on crime scene processing, a systematic, meticulous, and scientific process that law enforcement investigators should employ in every major criminal investigation. This process is used to document and preserve a location where criminal activity is known or suspected to have occurred; it facilitates the location and recovery of physical evidence to help prove the elements of an offense; it generates information that helps outline individual investigative steps and an overall investigative plan; and it facilitates the identification of participants, such as witnesses and suspects. It is essentially the foundation on which the entire investigation is built. By applying the scientific method, investigators can explore competing hypotheses. This helps to prevent bias, by combating a natural inclination to form conclusions too early in the investigation. It also helps to address possible defenses the suspect(s) may introduce during the investigation or at trial.

The purpose of this module is to improve the use of forensic examinations to collect evidence from the bodies and clothing of both victims and suspects during a sexual assault investigation. The module goes beyond simply explaining the procedures that are used during victim and suspect forensic examinations. It also explores the different types of evidence that may be gathered during these examinations and describes how this evidence can be used to advance a sexual assault investigation. It also gives participants an opportunity to apply what is learned through case study activities. Ultimately, the goal of this module is to encourage professionals involved in these cases to push past traditional ways of thinking about evidence, to critically analyze how each piece of information gathered fits into the complicated puzzle of a comprehensive investigation.

This module explores strategies to increase reporting options for sexual assault victims. These approaches are grounded in a victim-centered and trauma-informed philosophy, encapsulated in the concepts of one step at a time and opening doors. After defining key concepts, the module examines policy and practice considerations for communities seeking to implement such options. Ultimately, victims who have more ways to access information and support, to receive physical and psychological care, and to preserve the viability of a criminal justice intervention, will have more opportunities to successfully participate in the criminal justice process if and when they choose to do.