Victims No More
Assistant Professor Anne DePrince has known for years that people who fall victim to violent crime are likely to be victimized again. A 1995 British Crime Survey found that 3 percent of adult victims accounted for 73 percent of violent crime victimizations. Now DePrince, a psychology professor at DU, is teaming up with the Denver Police Department and Denver District Attorney’s office to try and reverse the revictimization phenomenon.
The research plan
Both the Denver Police Department and the District Attorney's office have joined with Anne DePrince on her research, which seeks to end repeat occurances of violent crime on victims.
While it is common knowledge in the psychology and criminal justice fields that revictimization is real, there is little research on why it occurs. DePrince has set up an extensive study to see what victims might have in common.
“Our ultimate hope is to find common risk factors so we can translate that information into intervention,” DePrince says. “However, let’s remember that regardless of the findings, the victim is never to blame. The responsibility for the crime lies solely on the person who chose to commit it.”
Student benefit
Ann Chu is a graduate student at DU, pursuing a doctorate in child clinical psychology. She says the community relationships that DePrince has made not only benefit the organizations, but her students as well. Through DePrince’s work, Chu has conducted more than 200 interviews with victims of trauma
“It’s been one of the most valuable experiences for me as a researcher and clinician,” Chu says. “We, as students, really got a good sense of what the victim went through. It was totally different than studying or reading about it.”
Chu also says that DePrince sets a wonderful example to her students to find ways to disseminate their research.
“Anne showed us it’s not just about publishing academic work. The research has real benefit for people and it should reach them through community networks,” Chu says.
DU involvement with Denver Police Department
The Denver Police Department’s Victim Assistance Unit is on board with DePrince’s project. The unit provides on-scene response to all victims of crime, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The police department sends victims a flyer about DePrince’s project within 72 hours of the crime.
“We want to understand the factors that contribute to crime in order to help us to initiate a plan for intervention, strategic prevention and public education,” says Scott Snow, director of the Victim Assistance Unit.
DU Involvement with Denver District Attorney’s office
Housed inside the Denver DA’s office is a unique program called the Victim Services Network. The decade-old program brings together agencies across Denver that serve victims of all sorts of crime, from child abuse to domestic assault.
It is one of many programs supported by District Attorney Mitch Morrisey, JD ’83.
The network’s goal is to make sure no matter whom a victim calls, he or she will be directed to an organization that can help.
“We want to empower victims,” says, Michelle Adams, director of the Morrisey’s Victim Services Network. “We want them to say, ‘victim no more!’”
To participate
In this study, DePrince is looking for women between the ages of 18 to 40 who were victims of physical or sexual assault, including domestic violence. DePrince has tested about 30 women, but needs a total of 96 for the study to be thorough. The women will be asked to participate in two 2-hour sessions where they will be asked to complete a variety of games and tasks that measure factors like attention and memory.
Participants will be financially compensated for their time. Those interested should contact the Women’s Coping Study at 303-871-7407 or by e-mailing copingstudy@psy.du.edu.
Published on Oct. 2, 2007