Closing a trafficking case in court doesn’t end a survivor’s journey. Many continue to face housing instability, employment barriers, and ongoing trauma long after prosecution. Denise Wyatt, Executive Director of the Family Healing Center in Fresno, shares how coordinated care, agency partnerships, and community involvement can provide survivors with the long-term support they need to make lasting recovery possible.

For more info on the Family Healing Center of Fresno: https://www.fhcfresno.org/our-team/ 

This podcast discusses the violent crime of human trafficking and related crimes of sexual violence, domestic violence, and stalking. If you need support, please call: The National Domestic Violence Hotline, RAINN, and The Human Trafficking Hotline.

If you'd like more info about AEquitas visit: https://aequitasresource.org/ or email us at: [email protected]. Follow AEquitas on Instagram @aequitas_resource

David Weiss, Chief of the Human Trafficking Unit at the Brooklyn DA’s Office, joins us to discuss how evidence-based strategies can reduce reliance on victim testimony while protecting victim dignity in the courtroom. He also shares that, in doing so, prosecutors can build survivor-centered cases, whether or not survivors are able to participate. Trafficking prosecutions often collapse when survivors can’t participate. We discuss how trauma responses are often misunderstood as resistance, how the misguided concept of “cooperation” can distort justice for trafficking survivors, why non-participation is frequently a predictable trauma reaction, and how prosecutors can reframe those behaviors for juries. 

For more detailed considerations about preparing a case for a forfeiture by wrongdoing motion:

• AEquitas, What is Forfeiture by Wrongdoing available here: 

• AEquitas, Forfeiture by Wrongdoing, THE PROSECUTORS’ RESOURCE (2012) available here. 

• For more information on preparing human trafficking cases with nonparticipating victims see here. 

• For more information on using experts in human trafficking cases, go to Webinar by International Association of Chiefs of Police and AEquitas, Working with Experts to Combat Common Defenses in Human Trafficking Cases, International Association Of Chiefs Of Police, or Webinar by International Association of Chiefs of Police, Jane Anderson, and Miiko Anderson, Prosecution Foundations: Educating the Judge and Jury About the Realities of Human Trafficking.

This podcast discusses the violent crime of human trafficking and related crimes of sexual violence, domestic violence, and stalking. If you need support, please call: The National Domestic Violence Hotline, RAINN, and The Human Trafficking Hotline.

If you'd like more info about AEquitas visit: https://aequitasresource.org/ or email us at: [email protected]. Follow AEquitas on Instagram @aequitas_resource

Survivor advocate Rafael Bautista joins us to explain how survivors are often mislabeled as “ghosting” services when, in fact, systems fail them first. This leaves victims more susceptible to the very vulnerabilities traffickers exploit. Rafael highlights how trauma responses are misinterpreted as resistance and why consistent, trauma-informed support is essential for recovery. Building stronger, more reliable systems can help survivors trust that support will be there when it’s needed most. 

For more info on Rafael Bautista: https://polarisproject.org/leadership/rafael-bautista/ 

This podcast discusses the violent crime of human trafficking and related crimes of sexual violence, domestic violence, and stalking. If you need support, please call: The National Domestic Violence Hotline, RAINN, and The Human Trafficking Hotline.

If you'd like more info about AEquitas visit: https://aequitasresource.org/ or email us at: [email protected]. Follow AEquitas on Instagram @aequitas_resource

Yiota Souras, Senior Vice President and General Counsel for the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC), joins to discuss the ever-evolving fight against child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and image-based sexual exploitation. We also discuss how investigators and prosecutors work to identify, prevent, and respond to the exploitation of child and adult victims. From the devastating impact of image-based abuse on victims to the complexities of modern investigations—including challenges related to AI-generated CSAM and encryption—this episode offers a critical look at how our legal and technological systems are adapting to meet this moment. Still celebrating the recently passed Take It Down Act, we explore the role of earlier landmark legislation like the PROTECT Act, and relevant cases like Miller v. California, New York v. Ferber, Ashcroft v. Free Speech Coalition, and a pending federal case reveal about the legal boundaries and ethical dilemmas surrounding this issue.

This podcast discusses the violent crimes of sexual violence, domestic violence, stalking, and human trafficking. If you need support, please call: The National Domestic Violence Hotline, RAINN, and Polaris.

For More Info:

• The legal landscape addressing child sexual abuse material and image based sexual abuse involving adult victims is ever changing. Please visit the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for resources, testimonies, and fact sheets related to the investigation and prosecution of child sexual exploitation.
• Please visit AEquitasResource.org for articles and webinars offering strategies on prosecuting Image Based Sexual Exploitation.
• You can also request a statutory compilation and analysis of the laws addressing image based sexual abuse at [email protected]. We will also be launching the National CyberCrime Resource Center later in 2025.
• Finally, on May 19, 2025 the bipartisan Take it Down Act was signed into law. You can find a description of the Take it Down Act and its impact here. We invite you to join us in Season 3 of Just Champions where we will discuss Take it Down in depth.

Michelle Kaminsky, Chief of the Gender-Based Violence Division at the Kings County District Attorney’s Office, talks about the evolution of domestic violence prosecution over her 30-year career. From trial strategy to a discussion about how to meet the justice and safety victims seek outside the courtroom, Michelle shares how she prepares prosecutors in her unit to handle these complex cases compassionately and effectively. We also explore the legal implications of Crawford v. Washington and its progeny—and how these cases impacted the way prosecutors prepare domestic violence cases where the victims are unable or unwilling to participate in the prosecution. Michelle discusses the practical and constitutional considerations at play, how courts analyze “ongoing emergency” in the the context of the admissibility of out of court “testimonial” statements, and how a multidisciplinary approach is necessary to protect and empower victims both in and out of court.

This podcast discusses the violent crimes of sexual violence, domestic violence, stalking, and human trafficking. If you need support, please call: The National Domestic Violence Hotline, RAINN, and Polaris.

If you'd like more info about AEquitas visit: https://aequitasresource.org/ or email us at: [email protected].

Follow AEquitas on Instagram @aequitas_resource

For more information on today's topics, you can find strategies for prosecuting a domestic violence case without victim testimony, i.e., evidence based prosecution, at AEquitas' Resource Page from earlier articles on the implications of the holdings here that include:

• Crawford v. Washington,
• Davis v. Washington,
• Hammon v. Indiana
• Michigan v. Bryant
• And more targeted analysis of Michigan v. Bryant and Ohio v. Clark

How have advances in DNA testing impacted the prosecution of sexual violence? What happens when testimony about powerful evidence unlocked by DNA testing is challenged as inadmissible under the US Constitution because the testing analyst isn’t available to testify at trial? In this episode, former sex crimes prosecutor and former Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez joins us to discuss the evolving role of DNA evidence in sex crimes prosecution and the legal challenges to its admissibility in prosecutions. We talk about how these cases are built, the common misconceptions around forensic evidence, and why DNA alone isn’t always enough. Anita shares her experience leading a major prosecutor’s office through some of the most important courtroom battles over the admissibility of DNA, including Williams v. Illinois. We also look at the Supreme Court’s recent decision in Smith v. Arizona—and offer strategies for prosecutors trying to get justice while protecting a defendant’s constitutional rights.

This podcast discusses the violent crimes of sexual violence, domestic violence, stalking, and human trafficking. If you need support, please call: The National Domestic Violence Hotline, RAINN, and Polaris.

If you'd like more info about AEquitas visit: https://aequitasresource.org/ or email us at: [email protected]. Follow AEquitas on Instagram @aequitas_resource

For more information:

• AEquitas has developed numerous trainings and articles related to the collection, analysis, and admissibility of DNA and forensic evidence and is a proud prosecution partner of the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative and many resources we have developed on this topic can be found in the Prosecution Toolkit .
• Please also visit AEquitasResoure.org, where we have posted additional resources on Advancing Justice Through Forensic Gentic Geneology as well as article analyzing the impact of Williams v. Illinois which was ultimately abrogated by Smith v. Arizona as discussed in our article available here.

Stalking is a serious crime that has life-altering consequences for victims. In this episode we explore how technology has transformed both the nature of stalking and the legal strategies used to confront it. We sit down with Deputy District Attorney Stephanie Fitts, Chair of the Colorado Domestic Violence Offender Management Board, who examines the growing threat of tech-facilitated stalking and how the justice system is adapting. We unpack evidentiary challenges prosecutors face in proving fear, recklessness, and intent and the legal challenges to stalking cases involving speech in the wake of 2 key Supreme Court decisions, Elonis v. United States and Counterman v. Colorado. From GPS tracking to anonymous messaging, this conversation sheds light on how modern stalking tactics affect victims—and how the prosecution strategies are evolving to ensure accountability.

This podcast discusses the violent crimes of sexual violence, domestic violence, stalking, and human trafficking. If you need support, please call: ⁠The National Domestic Violence Hotline⁠, ⁠RAINN⁠, and ⁠Polaris⁠.

If you'd like more info about AEquitas visit: https://aequitasresource.org/ or email us at: [email protected]. Follow AEquitas on Instagram @aequitas_resource

For More information:

• You can find more information on the holding in Elonis v. United States here and the holding in Counterman v. Colorado here.
• For more information on the prosecution of stalking crimes please visit AEquitas' Resource Page as well as The Stalking Protection, Awareness, and Resource Center (SPARC), a project of AEquitas.

Senior Deputy Prosecuting Attorney David Martin joins us to discuss the many ways abusers silence their victims through intimidation tactics that are so subtle they are often overlooked by law enforcement and prosecutors. He takes us through his and Professor Amy Bonomi’s groundbreaking efforts to analyze recorded jail calls to better understand how these tactics play out in domestic violence cases and to train domestic violence advocates, law enforcement, and prosecutors to better identify it in their cases. Jennifer and David discuss investigative and legal techniques that can be used to uncover and respond to witness intimidation. They also discuss how prosecutors can counter defendants’ intimidation tactics designed to prevent victims and witnesses from participating and testifying in a criminal case through the use of forfeiture by wrongdoing, a doctrine analyzed in the U.S. Supreme Court Case, Giles v. California, involving a domestic violence homicide. Drawing from his extensive experience,, David offers insight, strategy, and real-world experience in holding abusers accountable and protecting victim safety.

This podcast discusses the violent crimes of sexual violence, domestic violence, stalking, and human trafficking. If you need support, please call: ⁠The National Domestic Violence Hotline⁠, ⁠RAINN⁠, and ⁠Polaris⁠.

If you'd like more info about AEquitas visit: https://aequitasresource.org/ or email us at: [email protected]. Follow AEquitas on Instagram @aequitas_resource

For More Information:

• AEquitas has worked to uncovering and countering witness intimidation for over a decade. Expert resources are available on our website at AEquitas' Past Initiative Combating Witness Intimidation to Improve Victim and Witness Cooperative, Law Enforcement Investigation & Prosecution and lease reach out to AEquitas for the latest statutory compilation on Forfeiture by Wrongdoing across the U.S.
• If you’d like to read David’s and Amy's article, click here.
• For their book, click here.

Ron Eisenberg joins us to talk about the essential role of prosecutors as guardians, ensuring due process for defendants while balancing the fairness and rights owed to crime victims. We discuss the reasoning in Miranda v. Arizona and District Attorney v. Osborne, two U.S. Supreme Court cases that analyzed the Constitutional rights of defendants against self-incrimination and post-conviction access to evidence. Both cases involved violent perpetrators. Miranda centered around a serial rapist who was brought to justice through the bravery of his victim, Trish Weir. The Osborne case involved the brutal gang rape of a victim in the sex trade, who was strangled, shot, and left for dead in Alaska. After miraculously surviving her assault, she brought her assailants to justice as well. Through his thoughtful analysis of these decisions and the Constitutional issues underpinning them, Ron provides us with the legal strategies that uphold balance between fairness owed to the defendant and victim.

This podcast discusses the violent crimes of sexual violence, domestic violence, stalking, and human trafficking. If you need support, please call: ⁠The National Domestic Violence Hotline⁠, ⁠RAINN⁠, and ⁠Polaris⁠.

If you'd like more info about AEquitas visit: https://aequitasresource.org/ or email us at: [email protected]. Follow AEquitas on Instagram @aequitas_resource

For more information:

• Trish Weir’s experience as a rape victim and state’s witness was brought to life in the 2023 film Miranda's Victim.
• You can read the decision in Miranda v. Arizona here and District Attorney v. Osborne here.
• For additional analysis on these holdings, check out Supreme Court Clarifies Miranda, Miranda Under the Microscope Again, and Understanding the U.S. Supreme Court’s Decision on Post-Trial DNA Testing in Osborne.

Veteran homicide prosecutor Ed McCann joins to talk about prosecuting domestic violence homicides, especially those involving firearms. With decades of experience trying homicide cases, Ed shares his perspective on common legal challenges that arise in these cases—and how prosecutors can be the difference between life and death. We also unpack the decision in United States v. Rahimi, a Supreme Court case in which the defendant, who was subject to a protection from abuse order, challenged the government's ability to keep guns out of the hands of abusers. Reaching back into the history of firearm regulations, some of which dated back prior to the founding of the United States, the Court affirmed the constitutionality of the federal law at issue.

This podcast discusses the violent crimes of sexual violence, domestic violence, stalking, and human trafficking. If you need support, please call: The National Domestic Violence Hotline, RAINN, and Polaris.

If you'd like more info about AEquitas visit: ⁠AEquitasResource.org⁠⁠ or email us at: [email protected].

Follow AEquitas on Instagram @aequitas_resource

For more on United States v. Rahimi and Domestic Violence & Firearms, please see:

• Domestic Violence and Firearms: A Deadly Combination, Federal Firearms Prohibition Extends to Persons Convicted of Reckless Misdemeanor Crimes of Domestic Violence: Voisine v. United States
• Keep Calm and Understading Rahimi
• Understanding the Supreme Court’s Decision in United States v. Rahimi

• U.S. Supreme Court case decision in United States v. Rahimi