Prosecutor Institute
About
The Trauma-informed Prosecutor Project (TiPP), a program of the Zero Abuse Project, will offer prosecutor institutes over the next three years. These institutes will be two-day training institutes for child abuse prosecutors. The first day will cover the following basic topics:
● The role of the prosecutor in aiding the collection of corroborating evidence
● Preparing children for court
● Cross-examination of defendants and defense witnesses
● Opening statements
● Closing arguments
The second day of the institute will cover advanced topics selected by the community or state prosecutors hosting the course. The topics will be selected from the list included in this application.
In selecting locations for the Prosecutor Institutes, Zero Abuse Project will strive for geographical balance, rural and urban balance, and will give weight to states, regions or tribal communities that have been unable, or had difficulty, accessing quality child abuse training in the past. Additional factors include a demonstrated ability to get prosecutors to the institute as well as providing space and on-site resources to host the institute.
As part of a cooperative agreement from the Office of Juvenile Justice & Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice, Zero Abuse Project will cover the travel and other expenses of speakers and will not charge any additional fees. However, the selected host site must provide assistance in promoting the event, registering prosecutors, applying for CLEs, and providing an appropriate venue for the training. The venue must be able to accommodate the audience you anticipate attending and must be able to accommodate basic technology (LCD projection, sound system, etc). Unless the host site is funding these expenses, the prosecutors or professionals attending the course are responsible for their own expenses (hotels, meals, travel, etc).
Entities eligible to apply to host a prosecutor institute include state prosecutor associations, county or district prosecutors, tribal communities, or accredited Children’s Advocacy Centers. If you are interested, please complete the form below.
Advanced Topics
In addition to one day of basic training, the TiPP Prosecutor Institutes will include one day of training on advanced topics selected by the host site. The topics may be selected from the list below. We also welcome suggestions from the association or agency hosting the institute.
● Investigating and Prosecuting a Case of Child Torture
● Investigating, Prosecuting and Treating Juveniles with Sexual Behavior Problems
● Understanding the Impact of Trauma on Boys—and Explaining these Dynamics to a Jury
● When Indifference is a Crime: Investigating and Prosecuting a Case of Child Neglect
● When a Child Takes it Back: Investigating and Prosecuting a Sexual Abuse Case in which a Child Recants
● When Words Hurt: Investigating and Prosecuting a Case of Psychological Maltreatment
● Investigating and Prosecuting a Child Sexual Abuse Case when the Victim if Pre or Non-verbal
● Specialized Trial Tactics in Serious Physical Abuse and Child Homicide Cases
● Challenging False Defenses in Abusive Head Trauma Cases: Investigative Protocols and Prosecutorial Strategies
● Domestic Violence and Child Abuse: The Interconnection
● When the Smoke Clears: Cross-examining a Defense Expert Critiquing a Forensic Interview
● Pre-Trial Motions in Cases of Child Abuse
● Admitting a child’s hearsay statements into evidence
● Jury Selection in Cases of Child Abuse
● Trial strategies in an Abusive Head Trauma Case
● Recognizing and Responding to the Spiritual Impact of Child Abuse Before, During and After a Forensic Interview
● Investigating and prosecuting child abuse within a religious institution
● Investigating and prosecuting technology-facilitated crimes against children
● Interviewing victims of trafficking
● Effective MDT responses to physical abuse cases involving corporal punishment and a defense of “reasonable force”
● Becoming a trauma-informed prosecutor
● Ethics in prosecuting child abuse cases
