I'm so excited to announce that the website for AEquitas is now live. For those of you unfamiliar with this new project:
 
AEquitas: The Prosecutors' Resource on Violence Against Women was created through funding from the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (OVW). It is a partnership between OVW, the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape (PCAR), and the Battered Women's Justice Project (BWJP). AEquitas is a new technical assistance and training provider created to address the needs of prosecutors and allied professionals - particularly OVW grantees - who work on issues related to the prosecution of violence against women.
 
AEquitas' mission is to improve the quality of justice in sexual assault, domestic violence, stalking, and dating violence cases by developing, evaluating, and refining prosecution practices that increase victim safety and offender accountability. Named after the Roman goddess of equity and fairness, AEquitas challenges prosecutors to reexamine their approach to justice in cases involving violence against women. The complex and unique dynamics of these crimes against women demand a refined and nuanced response by prosecutors and a broader concept of what constitutes justice in these cases. In addition to offender accountability, the best possible outcomes must include consideration of the victim's history, experience, and perspective; the impact of the criminal justice process on the victim, and, where relevant, her children and family; and the impact on the victim's workplace and community.
 
The creation of AEquitas continues OVW's long-standing tradition of fostering collaboration between victim advocacy and criminal justice organizations. AEquitas' association with PCAR, BWJP, and other local, state, and national partners assists in the promotion of a comprehensive multi-disciplinary response to the crimes of violence against women.
 
AEquitas hosts several national training events, including: the National Institute on the Prosecution of Domestic Violence; the National Institute on the Prosecution of Sexual Violence; the Prosecution of Sexual Assault in P.L. 280 Jurisdictions; and the Prosecution of Domestic Violence Homicide Cases. AEquitas staff, which includes a medical expert, support prosecutors and allied professionals by conducting legal research; providing 24/7 case consultation; hosting condensed or state-specific training events and webinars; providing individual experts to jurisdictions and organizations; and publishing articles, monographs, and other resources on topics relevant to the prosecution of sexual assault, domestic violence, dating violence, and stalking.
 
I hope you'll find this project to be a fantastic resource--please share the information with community partners, as well. You can read more about staff contact info and sign up for email alerts on the AEquitas website.