“Best Practice Toolkit for Working with Domestic Violence Survivors with Criminal Histories (PDF)” (PDF, 1.5MB), created by the Michigan Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, aims to address the barriers incarcerated and formerly incarcerated survivors of domestic violence face when they attempt to get help.
The toolkit came out of the Michigan Open Doors Project, which focuses on incarcerated and formerly incarcerated survivors and is supported by a 3-year grant from the Family and Youth Services Bureau’s Family Violence Prevention and Services Program. Designed for direct service workers who are interested in how domestic violence and the criminal legal system overlap, the toolkit gives practical tips for assisting any person who has a history of intimate partner violence and has been charged or convicted of a crime.
The toolkit looks at
- how domestic violence may impact women before, during and after incarceration
- how to advocate for domestic violence survivors across the different stages of the criminal legal system
- what criminal legal professionals need to know about working with domestic violence survivors
- how to understand and address system-level barriers for women after incarceration
- how to enhance collaboration between the criminal legal and domestic violence sectors