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Georgia S A R T Sexual Assault Response Team a multidisciplinary victim-centered approach for responding to victims of sexual assault 2 0 2 1 G U I D E Georgia Sexual Assault Response Team Guide a multidisciplinary victim-centered approach for responding to victims of sexual assault This document was created as part of the Georgia Sexual Assault Response Team Project. This project is supported by Award No. 2014-WE-AX-0032 administered by the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council and awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, the US Department of Justice or the Office on Violence Against Women. 2021 SART Guide Version 2 A MESSAGE FROM THE CREATORS OF THIS RESOURCE The Georgia Criminal Justice Coordinating Council began the Georgia Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) Project in 2015. Our ultimate – and admittedly ambitious – goal was to create a unified, consistent, comprehensive, and compassionate approach in how we, as Georgia’s criminal justice professionals, respond to crimes of sexual violence in our communities. Six years later, we have trained 29 of the 49 state judicial circuits, numerous counties and more than 500 SART professionals in Georgia, with more trainings scheduled for the second half of 2021. We created this reference guide as a resource for SARTs across the state. In the process, we have been fortunate to meet face-to-face with many of those professionals who are doing the incredibly important work of responding to sexual assault victims in Georgia. We have heard heroic stories of dedicated law enforcement, prosecutors, SANEs, and victim advocates responding 24/7 to cases of sexual violence in metropolitan areas and small towns. We have listened to the challenges facing SARTs and been inspired by our colleagues’ work and their willingness to share and learn. High functioning SARTs are comprised of knowledgeable, collaborative, and communicative team members dedicated to achieving one goal: supporting victims of sexual assault while they work to make their communities safer. SART team members must be willing to understand their role, as well as those of their fellow team members, while “staying in their lane.” Our message is simple: a victim-centered, trauma-informed, and offender-focused sexual assault response by all SART members is best practice. By implementing these principles into the mission and philosophy of our SARTs, we are increasing our communities’ ability to hold offenders accountable. In this second edition of the guide, we have updated laws and best practices. This includes House Bill 255, also known as the Sexual Assault Reform Act of 2021. This legislation requires the submission of sexual assault protocols to the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, provides for a statewide Sexual Assault Kit Tracking System (SAKTS) and related reports, and requires law enforcement agencies to enter certain information into the FBI’s Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP). Refer to Appendix B5- HB 255 to see the bill’s wording in its entirety. We have also addressed a number of issues that we learned from our partners in this vital work. For those of you who have used the original guide, please see the new sections: • Media • Body-Worn Camera Considerations • School Resource Officers • DNA in Sexual Assault Cases • Utilizing the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) • Self-Administered Sexual Assault Evidence Collection Kits • Audiotaping or Videotaping the Forensic Medical Exam Interviews • Faith Considerations As always, we wish to be a resource to you in your work to combat sexual violence in your community. We are available to you for technical assistance, support, and training. So please reach out to us. Best regards, Amy Hutsell, Program Director, CJCC together with the Georgia SART Trainers, State Expert Committee and CJCC’s Sexual Assault Unit Georgia Sexual Assault Response Team Guide 2021 1 Table of Contents Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 4 Chapter 1: Sexual Assault Response Teams ................................................................................................ 11 WHAT IS A SART? ..................................................................................................................................... 11 SART Goals and Objectives ...................................................................................................................... 12 Two Sets of Needs ................................................................................................................................... 12 Chapter 2: Building a Community SART ....................................................................................................... 19 Developing Your SART ............................................................................................................................. 19 Steps to Building Your SART .................................................................................................................... 20 Victim-Centered Approach ...................................................................................................................... 26 Victim-Blaming ........................................................................................................................................ 29 Offender-Focused.................................................................................................................................... 29 SART Members ........................................................................................................................................ 30 Trust Building .......................................................................................................................................... 31 Decision Making and Conflict Resolution ................................................................................................ 31 Exchange of Information ......................................................................................................................... 33 Case Review............................................................................................................................................. 33 Chapter 3: Roles and Responsibilities of SART Members ............................................................................ 34 Roles and Responsibilities of the Victim Advocate .................................................................................. 34 Roles and Responsibilities of Law Enforcement ...................................................................................... 43 Roles and Responsibilities of the Health Care Provider ........................................................................... 61 Roles and Responsibilities of Prosecution ............................................................................................... 74 Court Procedure ...................................................................................................................................... 79 Chapter 4: Specific Considerations .............................................................................................................. 82 Collegiate Response ................................................................................................................................ 82 Incarcerated Victims ................................................................................................................................ 92 Chapter 5: Victim Specific or Cultural Considerations ................................................................................. 98 General Considerations for All Victims .................................................................................................... 98 Considerations for Working with Interpreters ........................................................................................ 99 Cognitive/Developmentally and Physical Disability Considerations ...................................................... 104 Deaf/Hard of Hearing Considerations ................................................................................................... 107 Elderly Considerations ........................................................................................................................... 110 Georgia Sexual Assault Response Team Guide 2021 2 Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender/Queer/Questioning (LGBT+) ......................................................... 113 Male Victim Considerations................................................................................................................... 114 African American Considerations .......................................................................................................... 115 Immigrant and Refugee Considerations ................................................................................................ 116 Latino/Hispanic Considerations ............................................................................................................. 120 Sex Trafficking Victims Considerations .................................................................................................. 121 Faith Considerations .............................................................................................................................