National Institute on the Prosecution of Sexual Violence
- OVW Approved?
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Yes
- Description
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Are you a prosecutor handling sexual violence cases in your community? Do you want to strengthen your skills to better serve victims and hold offenders accountable? Join us in Chicago, IL this November 18th–21st for the National Institute on the Prosecution of Sexual Violence (NIPSV)! The NIPSV is a three-and-a-half-day interactive course designed to challenge participants to re-evaluate their approach to prosecuting sexual assault. The Institute is grounded in a multidisciplinary, victim-centered response to sexual violence and encourages participants to expand their concept of justice in these cases by balancing victim autonomy with offender accountability and community safety. The curriculum:
Explains and applies relevant medical, DNA, forensic, toxicological, behavioral and digital evidence;
Discusses strategies for responding to victim and vicarious trauma, including trauma-informed interviewing;
Explores techniques for previewing and presenting evidence at trial, including the development of a theme and theory, jury selection, and expert testimony; and
Examines prosecution responses in the context of ethical challenges.Participants will explore and respond to challenges in a wide variety of sexual violence scenarios, including but not limited to:
Assaults perpetrated by intimate partners, acquaintances, strangers, serial offenders, and cross-over offenders;
Cases involving co-occurring offenses, such as stalking, domestic violence, and witness intimidation;
Cold cases;
Assaults perpetrated with alcohol and/or drugs;
Technology-facilitated abuse, including image exploitation.Through a combination of hypothetical case scenarios, participant exercises, small group discussions, interactive lectures, and faculty demonstrations, participants will re-examine their own beliefs about sexual violence and refine their prosecution case evaluation, litigation, and trial presentation skills. The highly interactive format enables prosecutors from different jurisdictions, with varied levels of experience, to learn from one another and engage in “”real-life”” scenarios that are readily transferable to their everyday work. At the end of the Institute, participants will be better equipped to hold offenders of sexual assault criminally accountable while centering victims’ needs and voices throughout the process. Location: 21c Museum Hotel Chicago 55 E Ontario Street Chicago, IL 60611 Dates: November 18 – 19, 2025 Times:
Tuesday, November 18: 8:00 AM – 5:15 PM CT
Wednesday, November 19: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM CT
Thursday, November 20: 8:30 AM – 5:00 PM CT
Friday, November 21: 9:00 AM – 11:45 AM CTELIGIBILITY:
Must currently be employed as a prosecutor in a local, state, or tribal prosecutor’s office in the United States or territories
Must handle sex crimes — all experience levels welcome
The course will be capped at 54 participants
Selected participants will receive an email with instructions for registration and further detailsNEED-BASED SCHOLARSHIPS AEquitas is able to cover airfare and up to four nights of lodging for four participants. If you are interested in a scholarship, please include in your email application an explanation of financial need. “