Sexual Assault Trials Handbook — Adult victims of sexual assault

E Werner, “Avoiding the second assault: a guidebook for trauma-informed prosecutors” (2021) 25(2) Lewis & Clark Law Review 573.

This extensive article discusses how trauma may impact a victim of crime and provides a guide for prosecutors for best practices at each stage of a prosecutor’s involvement in a case so as to avoid re-traumatisation in the process. The article seeks to inform prosecutors and those working in the criminal justice system of the neurobiological impact that surviving trauma can have on a victim’s brain and provides suggestions for trauma-informed prosecutors centered on the principles of choice, transparency, privacy, and connection. This article has particular relevance for adult victims of sexual assault.