Description: This presentation will discuss how the COVID-19 response has changed victims’ experiences within the criminal legal systems. Participants will learn about strategies to center survivor voices in this system through individual case approaches and larger strategic advocacy. Objectives will include: 1. Discussing the current landscape of legal system operations; 2. Reviewing the acute responses when representing victims during COVID-19; and 3. Brainstorming longer-term strategic approaches when supporting victims engaging in the current criminal legal system. 

Presenter: Bridgette Stumpf, Esq. is the Executive Director of Network for Victim Recovery of DC (NVRDC), a position she has held since co-founding the organization in May 2012. As part of this role, Bridgette developed the Legal Services and Pro Bono Programs at NVRDC, which offer assistance to victims of all crime types in asserting their rights throughout the criminal justice process, civil legal assistance to survivors of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and stalking in DC Superior Court, and representation to college campus survivors through administrative judicial hearings, appeals, and formal complaints to the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights for Title IX violations. For over a decade, Bridgette has spent her legal career advocating to ensure those impacted by crime are afforded meaningful rights and access to supportive services to mitigate the negative effects of trauma post-victimization. Read more…