About Us
AEquitas' (|'ekwitäs|; EH-qui-tahs) 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. The complex
and unique dynamics of these crimes against women demand a 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, the victim's children and family; and the impact on the victim's workplace
and community. Named after the Roman goddess of equity and fairness, AEquitas was created in order to provide prosecutors with the support, training,
mentorship, and resources necessary to objectively evaluate and constantly reexamine and refine their approach to justice in cases involving violence against women.
AEquitas receives 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). In the spirit of promoting a coordinated response to
violence against women, AEquitas collaborates with national, state, and local advocates and agencies to encourage a victim-centered response to these cases while
giving prosecutors the tools they need to succeed in court. AEquitas also partners with forensic healthcare professionals, law enforcement, the judiciary, and
other organizations representing allied professionals to ensure the proper collection and preservation of evidence, effective use of expert witnesses, and to
improve results in the criminal justice system in order to more effectively prosecute offenders.
AEquitas' staff is comprised of former prosecutors and a forensic nurse examiner with expertise in sexual assault, domestic violence - including child
witnessing - stalking, and dating violence. AEquitas also has an in-house communication and operations manager with expertise in conference and event planning,
program and office administration, marketing, database management, and Continued Legal Education (CLE) reporting.
Each staff member has a history of collaborating with state, federal, and tribal governments and nongovernmental agencies to improve the criminal justice
response to violence against women. AEquitas and its partners are committed to encouraging prosecutors throughout the country to build strong partnerships with
their law enforcement, medical, and victim advocacy organizations to achieve justice for victims and the communities they serve.
AEquitas staff support prosecutors and allied professionals by conducting legal research; providing 24/7 case consultation; hosting specialized 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 violence against women. Specifically, AEquitas hosts several national training events, including: the National
Institutes on the Prosecution of Domestic Violence, I and II; the National Institutes on the Prosecution of Sexual Violence, I and II; the Prosecution of
Sexual Assault in P.L. 280 Jurisdictions; and Prosecuting Domestic Violence Homicides.
AEquitas headquarters are located in Washington, DC with regional offices that enable staff to maintain and create close working relationships with prosecutors'
offices, prosecutor associations, STOP grant administrators, campuses, and other allied professionals in their geographic regions, while monitoring emerging issues
and promising practices across the country. Regional offices are currently located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania at the Evelyn Jacobs Ortner Center on Family
Violence in the School of Social Policy and Practice at the University of Pennsylvania; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Cleveland, Ohio; and Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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