NCJ Number
241581
Date Published
2012
Length
96 pages
Annotation
This final report from the Australian Institute of Criminology presents the results of an evaluation of the Australian Capital Territory's Sexual Assault Reform Program.
Abstract
The Australian Capital Territory's (ACT's) Sexual Assault Reform Program (SARP) was established in response to recommendations developed in 2005 by the ACT Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Australian Federal Police. This report presents the results of a preliminary evaluation of SARP following implementation of additional reforms to the program in 2007. Key findings from the evaluation include the following: the reforms appear to have been successful in improving the criminal justice processes and supports for victims/survivors of sexual offenses; due to the short period of time since the reforms were implemented, little data is available for documenting the attrition rates for sexual offense cases; and key stakeholders involved in the research indicated that they believe the reforms have resulted in a substantial improvement in the working relationships of agencies and/or service providers that work with victims/survivors of sexual offenses. Data for this evaluation was obtained using a two-stage process. The first stage of the evaluation involved the identification of key indicators necessary for conducting the evaluation, while the second stage of the process involved the actual data collection and interviews with the key stakeholders. The evaluation was aimed to determining the extent to which the reforms instituted in 2007 had improved the effectiveness of the program. The findings from the evaluation suggest that the reforms have improved the quality and level of services provided to victims/survivors of sexual offenses in the ACT, but more work still needs to be done. Suggestions for future research are discussed. Tables, figures, boxes, references, and appendixes