With an $8M award, Dr. Briana Barocas will lead an evaluation of programs using restorative practices to address domestic violence and sexual assault.
New York, NY – Research indicates that victims of domestic and sexual violence underreport incidents of harm to the criminal legal system. Reasons include fears of not being believed, possible retaliation, and feelings of shame as well as the criminal legal system’s emphasis on punitive sanctions and failure to promote meaningful accountability. To provide an alternate path to help victims heal and hold harm-doers accountable, the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) has launched a pilot sites program focused on restorative practices. A team led by NYU Silver Research Professor Briana Barocas has received a 5-year, $8 million award from OVW to evaluate the 11 sites funded through the program.
“To meet victims’ needs in the aftermath of harm, restorative practices offer trauma-responsive, community-led, victim-centered approaches and processes,” said Dr. Barocas, who is also Chief Research Officer of NYU’s Center on Violence and Recovery. “Nonetheless little is known about the particularities of such processes or restorative practices’ outcomes.” Her team’s evaluation will generate knowledge for practitioners, policymakers and other researchers on effective restorative practices that enhance victim well-being, harm-doer accountability, and community safety.
Among the questions the research team will answer are what are the core components of restorative practices addressing domestic and sexual violence, and how do these components affect program outcomes? How satisfied are victims with these practices, and what impacts their satisfaction? To what extent did harm-doers successfully complete and execute an action plan? And to what extent were harm-doers involved in a criminal or civil complaint involving domestic and/or sexual violence while engaged in the restorative process?
“Our research team recognizes the significance of this investment by OVW in restorative practices,” said Dr. Barocas, noting that 2024 is the 30th anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). The VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022 funded OVW’s current efforts to support, enhance, and expand restorative practice programs that address domestic and sexual violence. “We are honored to have received this award and are excited to take on this work.”
Dr. Barocas’ co-Principal Investigators are Dr. Sheila McMahon from the University of San Diego; Dr. Maya Ragavan from the University of Pittsburgh; Dr. Rei Shimizu (NYU Silver PhD ’21) from the University of Alaska Anchorage; Wendi Siebold from Strategic Prevention Solutions and Dr. Laura Sinko from Temple University. Co-Investigators are Drs. Rebecca Betensky and Kate Guastaferro from NYU School of Global Public Health; Brittany Freitas Murrell from Strategic Prevention Solutions; Dr. David Karp from the University of San Diego and Dr. Elizabeth Miller from the University of University of Pittsburgh. NYU Silver PhD students Krushika Patankar and Lucy Prout are graduate research assistants on the project.
About NYU Silver School of Social Work
Founded in 1960 and renowned for a strong tradition of excellence in direct social work practice and dedication to social justice, NYU Silver has provided rigorous training to more than 20,000 social work practitioners and leaders in every area of the field, making it the leading destination for students who want to become innovative practitioners at the micro, mezzo, and macro levels of social work practice. The School has four campuses in the heart of New York City, Rockland County, Westchester County, and Shanghai.