High Referral Rate for VPSO-Assisted Sex Assault Cases

• Main Author: Myrstol, Brad A.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage 2018
• Subjects: Alaska State Troopers; criminal case processing; law enforcement; paraprofessional police; police; rural justice; sexual abuse of minors (SAM); sexual assault; Village Public Safety Officers (VPSO); Alaska; Alaska Justice Forum
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/11122/8231

This article also appeared on p. 1–4 of the Spring 2018 print edition. This article reports findings from a recent study examining the impact of Alaska’s Village Public Safety Officer (VPSO) program on the criminal justice response to sexual abuse of a minor (SAM) and sexual assault (SA) cases closed by the Alaska State Troopers (AST) between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2011 in western Alaska. The study found that the likelihood that a sexual assault or sexual assault of a minor case will be accepted for prosecution in western Alaska is enhanced when VPSOs are first responders. [This article also appeared on p. 1–4 of the Spring 2018 print edition.] Grant No. 2013-VW-CX-001 awarded by the National Institute of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice State-funded paraprofessional police / VPSO first responders and more / VPSOs involved in 1 out of 7 cases / VPSO cases more likely to be referred / 79.7 percent of paraprofessional cases referred / VPSO first responder cases most likely to be accepted for prosecution / Expanded understanding of VPSO role / Funding disclosure / References