CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND LEGISLATION
Legislative Summaries
​MECASA
Every legislative session MECASA and our attorney partners summarize any new laws which may impact sexual assault survivors. You can find current and past summaries here:
2021/2022 Implications for Advocates
2019 Implications for Advocates
2018 Implications for Advocates
2017 Implications for Advocates
2016 Implications for Advocates

Elections & Lobbying FAQs
MECASA

Maine Victims' Compensation Fund
State of Maine Office of the Attorney General

​Request for Notification of Prisoner Release
Maine Department of Corrections

Maine Prosecution-Based Victim Services List
Maintained by Maine Attorney General's Office - updated January 2023

Improving Law Enforcement Response to Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence by Identifying and Preventing Gender Bias
In 2022, the Department of Justice released updated guidance "designed to help law enforcement agencies recognize, mitigate, and prevent gender bias and other bias from compromising the response to, and investigation of, sexual assault, domestic violence, and other forms of gender-based violence. The guidance provides a set of eight basic principles that – if integrated into LEAs’ policies, trainings and practices – help ensure that gender bias, either intentionally or unintentionally, does not undermine efforts to keep survivors safe and hold offenders accountable." (USDOJ) 
Guidance summary (4 pages) May 2022
Full guidance (36 pages) May 2022
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​CIVIL LEGAL RESOURCES
SURVIVOR RIGHTS & COMMUNITY-BASED JUSTICE​​​
Transformative & Restorative Justice
​2016 Restorative Justice Webinar
MECASA Webinar

Considerations for RJ Processes with SV Cases
MECASA Resource

2020 Restorative & Transformative Justice and Sexual Violence Webinar
MECASA Webinar

Restorative Justice: Repairing the Harm After Sexual Assault 
Gretchen Casey  | TEDxUF

Restorative Justice & Gender Based Violence
American Bar Association Section of Civil Rights and Social Justice 

Alternative Justice and Healing Workgroup Recommendations

Barnard Center for Research on Women | Transformative Justice Video Series - The Building Accountable Communities Project 
What is Transformative Justice?
Centering the Needs of Survivors (part 1)
Centering the Needs of Survivors (part 2)
What Does Justice Look Like for Survivors? 
How to Support Harm Doers in Being Accountable
​What are Obstacles to Accountability?
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​​​​HEALTHCARE
MECASA publications
Reproductive Health
National Alliance to End Sexual Violence's statement on the Supreme Court decision  
​2021 FOUNDATIONS TRAINING FOR VICTIM SERVICE PROFESSIONIALS - WEBINAR SERIES
Maine Criminal Justice System
​​​Foundational Training for Maine Victim Service Professionals: A Mini Virtual Series - 2021

Assistant Attorney General Suzanne Russell will explain the Maine criminal justice process from start to finish and answer your questions.
Effective Advocacy in Death Cases
​​​Foundational Training for Maine Victim Service Professionals: A Mini Virtual Series - 2021

This panel discussion addressed common issues that arise where a person dies as the result of a crime, including how to hold space for complex grief and work with surviving families, common resource needs and how to address them, and how to help surviving families navigate the challenges and disappointments of the criminal justice process.
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Maine Corrections System 
​​​​Foundational Training for Maine Victim Service Professionals: A Mini Virtual Series - 2021

​Tessa Mosher, DOC Director of Victim Services, will provide an overview of what happens after people convicted of a crime are sentenced and how to partner with DOC Victim Services to ensure victim/survivors have access to victim notification, restitution payments, and more.
Maine Trans Net
​​​​​Foundational Training for Maine Victim Service Professionals: A Mini Virtual Series - 2021

Maya Williams, Sexual Assault Program Coordinator for MaineTrans.Net will provide basic information and advocacy best practices when working with crime survivors who are trans or non-binary.
Supporting Older Mainers
Foundational Training for Maine Victim Service Professionals: A Mini Virtual Series - 2021

Join staff from Maine Legal Services for the Elderly to learn more about elder victimization and exploitation and advocacy best practices for working with older Mainers.
Sexual Violence 101
Foundational Training for Maine Victim Service Professionals: A Mini Virtual Series - 2021

Kayce Hunton and Ashley Hayden from Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Services, and Katie Kondrat from the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault will provide a foundational training on sexual violence. The training will define and identify sexual violence and related terms, provide information about specialized statewide services, and provide simple and effective ways to respond to and support someone who has experienced sexual violence.
Domestic Violence 101
Foundational Training for Maine Victim Service Professionals: A Mini Virtual Series - 2021

Kelly O’Connor and Regina Rooney from MCEDV will provide trainees with a foundational understanding of the dynamics of domestic abuse and violence, as well as best practices for providing survivor-centered advocacy.
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Trauma-Informed & Healing-Centered Care
Foundational Training for Maine Victim Service Professionals: A Mini Virtual Series - 2021

Kayce Hunton from Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Services, and Katie Kondrat from the Maine Coalition Against Sexual Assault will provide a foundational training on trauma and trauma-informed care. The training will discuss the six guiding principles of trauma-informed care and its impact on survivors of sexual violence, with wider applicability to other forms of harm.