Joanne Zannoni, MSW, LICSW, has worked in the field of violence against women in various capacities and settings since 1992. She is currently the associate director of Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services, Inc. (CONNSACS), in East Hartford, Connecticut, where she is responsible for overseeing CONNSACS' confidentiality and violence prevention projects. She has presented on these topics locally and nationally and coauthored Advocating for Victim/Survivors of Sexual Assault While Protecting Their Privacy, a confidentiality tips manual for sexual assault victim advocates.
Since 2001, Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services, Inc. (CONNSACS) has worked to strengthen sexual assault victims' right to privacy by developing and providing training opportunities, resources, and technical assistance to sexual assault victim advocates, attorneys, and other professionals at the local, state, and national levels. Products developed by CONNSACS include a curriculum manual for attorneys, two curriculum manuals for sexual assault victim advocates, a brochure for victims (available in English and Spanish), and a webinar series.
CONNSACS' efforts to uphold victims' right to privacy have been strengthened by the involvement of victims, sexual assault victim advocates, and colleagues from around the country. Special thanks go to those individuals who have served with CONNSACS staff members on CONNSACS' confidentiality project team: Jamie L. Mills, attorney, Hartford, Connecticut; Alison L. Johnson, consultant, Middletown, Connecticut; Susan Omilian, attorney, West Hartford, Connecticut; and Helen L. McGonigle, attorney, Brookfield, Connecticut.
Product development was made possible through collaborative processes primarily involving victims, victim advocates, and attorney consultants. Early efforts were funded through a Legal Assistance for Victims grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women. Recent efforts were funded through a cooperative agreement from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime (OVC).
U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
810 Seventh Street NW.
Washington, DC 20531
Eric H. Holder, Jr.
Attorney General
Laurie O. Robinson
Acting Assistant Attorney General
Joye E. Frost
Acting Director, Office for Victims of Crime
Office of Justice Programs
Innovation • Partnerships • Safer Neighborhoods
https://ojp.gov
Office for Victims of Crime
www.ovc.gov
NCJ 226501
This product was supported by grant number 2005-VF-GX-K027, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this product are those of the contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Office for Victims of Crime is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services, Inc. 2006. Advocating for Victims of Sexual Assault While Protecting Their Privacy. East Hartford, CT: Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services, Inc.
Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services, Inc. 2004. Confidentiality: The Foundation of Healing. East Hartford, CT: Connecticut Sexual Assault Crisis Services, Inc.
Herman, J. 1997. Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence—From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror. New York, NY: Basic Books.
Kilpatrick, D.G., C. Edmunds, and A. Seymour, 1992. Rape in America: A Report to the Nation. Charleston, SC: National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Medical University of South Carolina.
2 Sexual assault victims are male and female. Sexual assault advocates are also male and female. Usage of singular pronouns in this document is intended to be inclusive. The principles discussed apply equally.
4 Kilpatrick, D.G., C. Edmunds, and A. Seymour, 1992, Rape in America: A Report to the Nation, Charleston, SC: National Victim Center and the Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Medical University of South Carolina, p. 4.
6 National Center for Victims of Crime, November 2002, Privacy of Victims' Counseling Communications, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office for Victims of Crime.
7 U.S. Department of Defense, April 2004, Task Force Report on Care for Victims of Sexual Assault, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Defense.
9 Formerly referred to as a "rape kit," and sometimes referred to as a biological forensic examination kit (Bio Kit) or Physical Evidence Recovery Kit (PERK Kit). Because medical forensic evidence is collected from victims of other sex crimes in addition to rape, and because the evidence collected may include items such as clothing and bedding, the term "sexual assault evidence collection kit" is used in this document. Additionally, the term "rape kit" may be misconstrued to refer to the items a perpetrator uses against the victim.
