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Illinois Takes Steps to Improve Police Handling of Rape Cases

Governing
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
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Illinois Takes Steps to Improve Police Handling of Rape Cases Giving Compass
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Giving Compass’ Take:

• Annie Sweeney reports that in order to better serve the public, police officers in Illinois are receiving training to help them better understand and help rape victims. 

• What are the larger implications of this law for criminal justice in Illinois? How can other states follow Illinois lead to increase rape reports?

• Learn why it is crucial for colleges to take sexual assault seriously. 


Advocates and law enforcement officials say such fear and doubt about how their allegations will be investigated has long deterred sexual assault victims from coming forward. As few as 1 in 5 rapes are reported, they say.

In an attempt to close that gap, a little-known change in Illinois state law is trying to improve how police respond to victims of rape, mandating police officers across the state undergo new training that not only emphasizes the need for sensitivity to the difficult cases but also teaches the science behind how a brain reacts to trauma.

The law also requires that police must take a report for every allegation of rape — no matter how long ago it might have occurred or what jurisdiction it occurred in.

For Chicago police, the new training is already underway for recruits and will begin soon for detectives. Officers who investigate sex crimes should receive the training over the next two years. The state training board has held three statewide trainings for other departments as well.

Reports of criminal sexual assaults have been increasing in Chicago over the past five years, up from 1,401 in 2013 to 1,738 in 2017.

No one is certain whether the new reporting law is having an impact on the number of reports taken by the Chicago police. But advocates say there is no doubt increased conversation on the issue has led to more calls for help over the past few years.

Read the full article on police handling of rape cases by Annie Sweeney at Governing Magazine. 

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Interested in learning more about Advocacy and Policy? Other readers at Giving Compass found the following articles helpful for impact giving related to Advocacy and Policy.

  • This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
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    An Argument for Outcomes-Based Higher Education Funding

    Giving Compass' Take: • Alana Dunagan and Michael B. Horn argue that the federal government would get more out of higher education funding if they shifted to an outcomes-based strategy.  • How can funders help to shift to an effective higher education funding structure?  • Learn about the risks of outcomes-based funding.  Every year the federal government spends more than $100 billion on higher education, mainly in the form of grants and subsidized loans to students. The historical purpose of this spending has been to broaden access to higher education. Without federal subsidy, students from low-income backgrounds would struggle to afford higher education. They would lose out on the personal and economic benefits that accrue from higher levels of educational attainment, and society would miss out on their potential contributions. Although federal spending on higher education has expanded access, it has also had an unintended effect. Federal funds are available on a pay-for-enrollment basis: as long as students are enrolled in an eligible degree or certificate program, they can receive a Pell grant or apply for a loan. This practice allows students to enroll in programs with low course-completion and graduation rates. Funding is not tied directly to a program’s track record of placing students into good jobs, and inevitably, some students end up with debt that they struggle to repay. With pay-for-enrollment, the government ends up investing taxpayer dollars in programs with a low return, whether measured by loans repaid or by social benefit. On top of this, recent evidence suggests that federal spending has partially fueled the annual tuition increases that in recent decades have become endemic at colleges and universities. With the pending reauthorization of the HEA, policymakers have an opportunity to craft a framework that unleashes innovators and stimulates them to focus on creating value for students and society. The key, though, isn’t to debate whether there is too little or too much regulation but to concentrate on paying innovators for outcomes instead of constraining them by regulating inputs. Read the full article about outcomes-based higher education funding by Alana Dunagan and Michael B. Horn at Christensen Institute.


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