"Prosecuting Cases Involving Victims with Developmental Disabilities:
A Focus on Sexual Assault"
Virtual Training
April 16, 2025
12:00 pm-1:30 pm
The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the virtual training, ”Prosecuting Cases Involving Victims with Developmental Disabilities: A Focus on Sexual Assault.”
Description:
Individuals with developmental disabilities are at disproportionate risk of sexual assault. These victims also face unique challenges when interacting with the criminal justice system. Cognitive, physical, and communication impairments – in addition to trauma from the assault – could impact a victim’s participation in a criminal investigation and their testimony at trial. Criminal justice professionals who fail to account for these challenges will be unable to properly evaluate, investigate, and prosecute these cases, leading to case attrition. In order to achieve justice for victims and hold offenders fully accountable, prosecutors must address the impact of developmental disabilities on victims and on the dynamics of sexual assault, particularly when assessing offenders’ access to and manipulation of victims.
This presentation will explore methods for working with victims with developmental disabilities; filing and arguing pretrial motions; developing trial strategies that take into account the victim’s disabilities, as well as any mental health issues; introducing relevant and excluding irrelevant evidence at trial; and arguing for appropriate sentences.
Objectives:
At the conclusion of this presentation, participants will be better able to:
- Discuss developmental disabilities and other special needs
- Identify resources for investigators and prosecutors who work with victims with developmental disabilities
- File pre-trial motions to accommodate and maximize the ability of victims with developmental disabilities to participate in the criminal justice process.
Presenter:
Jonathan H. Kurland is an Attorney Advisor with AEquitas. Prior to joining AEquitas, Jonathan worked in the District Attorney’s Office of Berks County, Pennsylvania where he started as a line Assistant District Attorney and prosecuted the range of cases typical for a jurisdiction with a combination of urban, suburban, and rural communities. However, over time, Jonathan’s focus increasingly trended to violent crime and cases involving the most vulnerable and exploited of victims. When Jonathan left after sixteen years in the District Attorney’s Office to join AEquitas, he was the Chief Deputy District Attorney and supervised, advised, and still prosecuted matters involving intimate partner violence and homicides, sexual violence, child abuse, and grand jury investigations. During his time in the Berks County District Attorney’s Office, Jonathan helped to develop collaboration between prosecutors, law enforcement, victim advocacy, medical professional, and other community stakeholders particularly through serving as the office lead for a variety of victim-focused multidisciplinary investigative teams and other community-based collaborative efforts focusing on intimate partner violence, sexual violence, child abuse, and human trafficking.
In addition to his trial and supervisory experience, Jonathan served in the appellate unit and he was assigned as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney for Berks County, where he served as liaison to multiple agencies to facilitate federal adoption of prosecutions involving complex criminal enterprises and violent career criminals. He also served as adjunct faculty at Alvernia University, where he taught courses in the Criminal Justice Department.
Who should attend?
This training is intended for all victim-serving personnel.
Partial In-service Credit: This training does not offer partial in-service credit.
Participant Registration and Cost: This training is free. Please visit here to register.
Contact:
Tricia Everetts
Victims Services Training Coordinator
Tricia.Everetts@dcjs.virginia.gov