Laws and Policies

The report, Global and regional estimates of violence against women: Prevalence and health effects of intimate partner violence and non-partner sexual violence, represents the first systematic study of global data on the prevalence of violence against women -- both by partners and non-partners. Some 35% of all women will experience either intimate partner or non-partner violence. The study finds that intimate partner violence is the most common type of violence against women, affecting 30% of women worldwide.

The Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (ATSA) is committed to promoting evidence-based practices and high quality research. Consistent with professional and scientific opinion in diverse fields, ATSA recognizes randomized clinical trials (RCTs) as the preferred method of controlling for bias in treatment outcome evaluations. ATSA promotes the use of RCT to distinguish between interventions that decrease the recidivism risk of sexual offenders and those programs that have no effect or are actually harmful.

This policy paper discusses public health prevention efforts to encourage a shift in focus from intervention and treatment following an assault to primary prevention -- the prevention of sexual abuse before it is perpetrated.

Read the full paper.

Publish Date

May 2011

This policy paper is an overview of the treatment and intervention with sex offenders and the need to develop strategies to eradicate sexual abuse and the risks those offenders pose to society.

This publication discusses reshaping sex offender public policy through a comprehensive approach and new collaborative models through cross-disciplinary professional partners; to craft new policies that prevent abuse before it is perpetrated and re-offenses.

April 2011

The focus of this policy paper is civil commitment programs in the United States. The use of civil commitment for sexual offenders has generated considerable debate in legal and clinical professions, and it continues to be debated even among professionals who work with and conduct research on sexual offenders.

August 2010

The goal of this document is to provide relevant information for reducing sexual reoffending by adolescents and promoting effective interventions that facilitate pro-social and law-abiding behaviors. This document is purposefully short in length, summarizes central findings from the research, and outlines some major areas for consideration when working with this population of youth and their families.

October 2012

 The Office for Victims of Crime is pleased to announce the release of the Vision 21: Transforming Victim Services Final Report, the first comprehensive assessment of the victim assistance field in nearly 15 years. The Vision 21 initiative gave participants the opportunity to engage with a broad spectrum of service providers, advocates, criminal justice professionals, allied practitioners, and policymakers to address crime victim issues through a lens broader than their everyday work.

El folleto tiene información básica sobre ADN y su uso en el casos penales (p. ej., los orígenes típicos de evidencia ADN, CODIS y el perfil ADN). Hay otro folleto para víctimas. También disponible en inglés.

Publish Date

El folleto tiene información básica sobre ADN y su uso en el casos penales (p. ej., ciencia básica del ADN, la recopilación de evidencia ADN y resultados de las pruebas). Hay otro folleto para proveedoras(es) de servicios. También disponible en inglés.

Publish Date