High Referral Rate for VPSO-Assisted Sex Assault Cases

High Referral Rate for VPSO-Assisted Sex Assault Cases

Myrstol, Brad A.

Date: 2018-04-02

Source: Alaska Justice Forum

Publisher: Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage

Subject: 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)

Type: Article

Table of Contents: 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

Abstract:

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.]