Shattering Silences: Strategies to Prevent Sexual Assault, Heal Survivors, and Bring Assailants to Justice

by Christopher Johnston

Overview

An in-depth look at revolutionary new ways to handle sexual assaults.

Every two minutes someone in the US is sexually assaulted, and each year there are nearly 300,000 victims of sexual assault. But victims are no longer silent, and new practices by police, prosecutors, nurses, and rape crisis professionals are resulting in more humane and compassionate treatment of victims and more aggressive pursuit and prosecution of perpetrators.

Shattering Silencesa is the first book to cover these new approaches and partnerships. Christopher Johnston shows how the people and organizations implementing these new approaches are having far-reaching impacts on helping victims heal and making it more likely that predators will be arrested and sentenced. His in-depth portrayals of the altruistic and hard-working people behind these radical approaches—based on seven years of interviews—provide a template of best practices for other organizations and communities to follow. With sexual assault taking center stage these days, Shattering Silences is more important than ever.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781510727588
Publisher:	Skyhorse
Publication date:	05/01/2018
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	NOOK Book
Pages:	304
File size:	943 KB

About the Author

Christopher Johnston has published more than 3,000 articles in both regional and national publications, including The Plain Dealer, The Christian Science Monitor, and Time.com. He wrote a cover story for The Christian Science Monitor about a rape in Cleveland and the city’s solutions for curbing sexual violence.

Table of Contents

Introduction: An End to the Dark Ages: Giving Voice to Survivors vii

Part 1 What Cleveland Has Learned 1

Chapter 1 Abandoned Evidence: Shondreka Lloyd's Case, Part 1 2

Chapter 2 The Rock: Kirsti Mouncey and the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center 10

Chapter 3 The Healers: Elizabeth Booth, RN, SANE-A, and Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners 28

Chapter 4 The Enlightened Leader: Commander James McPike and the CPD Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit 53

Chapter 5 The Past Is the Future: Richard Bell and the Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit Task Force 73

Chapter 6 The Science of DNA Profiles for CODIS: Lewis Maddox and the Richfield OBCI Laboratory 88

Chapter 7 The Research Partner: Rachel Lovell Disseminates Best Practices for the Future 103

Chapter 8 Reclaimed Evidence: Shondreka Lloyd, Part 2 116

Part 2 Detroit Digs Out from a Pile of Darkness 127

Chapter 9 The Enforcer: Kym Worthy and the Decision 128

Chapter 10 Coalescing Forces: The Fall 2016 SAK Task Force Summit with Cleveland and Memphis 144

Chapter 11 The Scientist-Researcher: Rebecca Campbell's Psychological Paradigm Shift 166

Chapter 12 The Investigator: Mark Farrah and the Wayne County SAK Task Force 184

Chapter 13 The Motor City Healers: Kim Hurst and Wayne County SAFE 194

Part 3 Individual Change Makers 207

Chapter 14 Marathon Woman: Liz Ferro and Girls with Sole 208

Chapter 15 Marathon Man: Mike Pistorino Shatters the Silence of Child Sexual Abuse 225

Part 4 Learning from Mistakes 247

Chapter 16 Triumphs and Tribulations in Memphis and Other Cities 248

Part 5 What's Next? 263

Chapter 17 The Pillars of Rape Kit Reform: Ilse Knecht and the Joyful Heart Foundation 264

Epilogue: The Sexual Assault Paradigm Shift of 2017 283

Selected Bibliography 289

Index 293

Editorial Reviews

"Christopher Johnston sheds light on a social problem too often overlooked in the United States—sexual abuse. And he does so without wallowing in how bad the problem is. Writing with sensitivity and compassion, he looks at solutions to the rape crisis in America—from the point of view of the police, prosecutors, medical professionals, and, most important, the victims themselves."
—Scott Armstrong, senior editor responsible for narrative cover stories, The Christian Science Monitor

"Christopher Johnston’s reporting brought national attention to our community’s comprehensive efforts to fight sexual violence and has opened readers’ eyes to this evidence-based, collaborative approach to serving victims of rape and sexual abuse." —Sondra Miller, president and CEO, Cleveland Rape Crisis Center

"Shattering Silences should be a required reading for anyone who has or will have the potential of interviewing survivors of sexual violence or making decisions on their behalf . . . Johnston eloquently weaves in stories with academic language that makes the information easy to digest and understand for the average reader. Shattering Silences is the playbook for communities to finally work toward ending the sexual violence epidemic plaguing our country." —Erin Rose, cofounder of Every Two Minutes

"Shattering Silences captures the beginning of a cultural sea change that is altering our nation’s perspective on sexual violence . . . It is our hope that readers are inspired to address this important issue by holding elected leaders accountable, treating victims with compassion and respect, and pressing the criminal justice system to take sexual assault seriously." —Ilse Knecht, Joyful Heart Foundation, national organization devoted to transforming society’s response to sexual assault

"Finally, a book that addresses how best to help survivors of sexual assault! In Shattering Silences, Johnston compiles the best practices from experts and shares them with communities seeking effective ways to support victims and help them to heal. It's a book that's long overdue." —Janine Latus, advocate and author of the international bestseller If I Am Missing or Dead: A Sister's Story of Love, Murder and Liberation

"A timely update on efforts to combat sexual assault in America. In a narrative bolstered by extensive research involving clinical professionals and law enforcement experts, Ohio-based journalist Johnston investigates how rape cases are processed today after decades of mishandling. . . . Though the challenges facing tireless task force detectives, medical staff, and community psychologists may seem insurmountable, the author’s hard-hitting, victim-centered report reveals the great strides being made toward achieving justice through collaborative and tech-innovative investigation. A hopeful report that is more triumph than trauma in the prosecution of sexual assault cases past and present."—Kirkus Review

“Published auspiciously in the wake of the sexual misconduct allegations against Hollywood celebrities and the #MeToo phenomenon, Shattering Silences offers solid evidence that meaningful rape reform is occurring throughout the U.S. Further progress, notes Johnston, will be fueled by a multidisciplinary, concerted effort by the public and private sectors, and the work of dedicated nonprofit organizations.” —Robert Sberna, New York Journal of Books

"Christopher Johnston sheds light on a social problem too often overlooked in the United States—sexual abuse. And he does so without wallowing in how bad the problem is. Writing with sensitivity and compassion, he looks at solutions to the rape crisis in America—from the point of view of the police, prosecutors, medical professionals, and, most important, the victims themselves."
—Scott Armstrong, senior editor responsible for narrative cover stories, The Christian Science Monitor

"Christopher Johnston’s reporting brought national attention to our community’s comprehensive efforts to fight sexual violence and has opened readers’ eyes to this evidence-based, collaborative approach to serving victims of rape and sexual abuse." —Sondra Miller, president and CEO, Cleveland Rape Crisis Center

"Shattering Silences should be a required reading for anyone who has or will have the potential of interviewing survivors of sexual violence or making decisions on their behalf . . . Johnston eloquently weaves in stories with academic language that makes the information easy to digest and understand for the average reader. Shattering Silences is the playbook for communities to finally work toward ending the sexual violence epidemic plaguing our country." —Erin Rose, cofounder of Every Two Minutes

"Shattering Silences captures the beginning of a cultural sea change that is altering our nation’s perspective on sexual violence . . . It is our hope that readers are inspired to address this important issue by holding elected leaders accountable, treating victims with compassion and respect, and pressing the criminal justice system to take sexual assault seriously." —Ilse Knecht, Joyful Heart Foundation, national organization devoted to transforming society’s response to sexual assault

"Finally, a book that addresses how best to help survivors of sexual assault! In Shattering Silences, Johnston compiles the best practices from experts and shares them with communities seeking effective ways to support victims and help them to heal. It's a book that's long overdue." —Janine Latus, advocate and author of the international bestseller If I Am Missing or Dead: A Sister's Story of Love, Murder and Liberation

"A timely update on efforts to combat sexual assault in America. In a narrative bolstered by extensive research involving clinical professionals and law enforcement experts, Ohio-based journalist Johnston investigates how rape cases are processed today after decades of mishandling. . . . Though the challenges facing tireless task force detectives, medical staff, and community psychologists may seem insurmountable, the author’s hard-hitting, victim-centered report reveals the great strides being made toward achieving justice through collaborative and tech-innovative investigation. A hopeful report that is more triumph than trauma in the prosecution of sexual assault cases past and present."—Kirkus Review

“Published auspiciously in the wake of the sexual misconduct allegations against Hollywood celebrities and the #MeToo phenomenon, Shattering Silences offers solid evidence that meaningful rape reform is occurring throughout the U.S. Further progress, notes Johnston, will be fueled by a multidisciplinary, concerted effort by the public and private sectors, and the work of dedicated nonprofit organizations.” —Robert Sberna, New York Journal of Books

From the Publisher

2018-04-03
A timely update on efforts to combat sexual assault in America.In a narrative bolstered by extensive research involving clinical professionals and law enforcement experts, Ohio-based journalist Johnston investigates how rape cases are processed today after decades of mishandling. Focusing primarily on the Cleveland area, the author spent eight years researching rape and sexual assault, and he presents his findings through the case histories of several survivors. Their stories are indeed unsettling, with many left unresolved for decades and now resurfacing through the advent of DNA analytics. Johnston reports on the Cleveland Rape Crisis Center, and he compassionately profiles a group of "healers" comprised of sexual assault nurse examiners charged with the intake and rape-kit follow-through for assault victims. The victim's stories, however, are the true heart of the book, conveying a palpable sense of suffering. From a law enforcement perspective, Johnston looks at a Cleveland police commander responsible for the Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Unit who acknowledges that this particular work is psychologically and emotionally difficult and "not for everybody." Even more exacting is the work of an Ohio crime lab where forensic pathologists process rape kits and scrutinize DNA samples, now considered "law enforcement's greatest weapon" in convicting rapists. The legally irrefutable science of DNA examination, writes the author, is also making it possible for sexual assault cold cases to be reopened and litigated, as with the valiant ordeal of a girl who was raped 20 years ago at the age of 14. In Detroit, Johnston brings to life the court battles of rape victims and the challenges facing prosecutors attempting to exhume a backlog of rape kits for tracking and reanalysis. Though the challenges facing tireless task force detectives, medical staff, and community psychologists may seem insurmountable, the author's hard-hitting, victim-centered report reveals the great strides being made toward achieving justice through collaborative and tech-innovative investigation.A hopeful report that is more triumph than trauma in the prosecution of sexual assault cases past and present.

Kirkus Reviews

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