The research and evaluation (R & E) initiative is authorized by 34 USC 12291(B)(7), which permits OVW to set aside up to three percent of available funds from most OVW programs to conduct…

This $448,399 project grant from the Department of Justice Offices Boards and Divisions Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) under the OVW Research and Evaluation Program (CFDA 16.026) will fund qualitative research and knowledge dissemination activities at DePaul University in partnership with a state sexual assault coalition. Specifically, DePaul University will conduct interviews with 45-50 adult sexual assault survivors in an urban and rural area who sought civil no-contact orders to understand their experiences and perceptions of advocates and lawyers. In collaboration with Michigan State University, the project will analyze interview data to contribute knowledge about the unique experiences of sexual assault survivors outside the context of domestic/dating violence. Findings will be shared with stakeholders through practitioner reports, conferences, and peer-reviewed journal articles. The 24-month project beginning November 1, 2022 aims to build the evidence base for effective practices in serving survivors and holding offenders accountable.

The research and evaluation (R & E) initiative is authorized by 34 USC 12291(B)(7), which permits OVW to set aside up to three percent of available funds from most OVW programs to conduct evaluations of promising practices for combatting domestic/dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, and to research problems emerging in the field. By generating more knowledge about strategies for serving victims and holding offenders accountable, communities that benefit from violence against women act (VAWA) funding will be better equipped to align their work with practices that are known to be effective, and they will be more capable of building empirical knowledge on the efficacy of new and promising ways of making communities safer and more just. Recognizing that there is a pressing need to understand sexual assault survivors' perceptions of helpful and unhelpful aspects of their experiences seeking civil no contact orders (CNCOS), and focusing on the role of advocates and lawyers and survivor and community diversity, this study with depaul university will involve qualitative interviews will be conducted with 45-50 adult survivors who sought a cnco and sought help from one of the focal rape crisis centers. In partnership with a state sexual assault coalition, the researchers will interview 30-35 urban survivors (at least 10 black and at least 10 latino/a/X survivors), 15-20 rural survivors, and 15 survivors who did and 15 who did not speak with a lawyer about their cnco. This study will contribute knowledge about the unique experiences of sexual assault survivors who seek CNCOS outside the context of domestic/dating violence. Findings will be shared with state and national stakeholder groups representing victim advocates, judges, and lawyers via practitioner reports, presentations, and a practitioner-oriented conference. The research team will present at two scholarly conferences and submit at least two manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals.