Here’s how things worked over 15 years ago before Sylvia’s CAC opened. It used to be a long, bumpy path…
For families and investigators, it was like solving a puzzle with no help
Before Sylvia’s CAC and CACs like ours around the country, the experience of supporting and investigating crimes against kids was almost as traumatic as the crime.
Prior to Sylvia’s CAC, kids frequently:
- Had to re-re-re-tell their experience over and over
- Cases were inconsistent, with some being investigated immediately, in days, or weeks, or maybe never
- Saw non-offending parents and caregivers were left to their own, and punished with lost work and little support
- Found the whole experience often failed to recognize other kids who might be at-risk or victims, like friends, siblings, or other close contacts
Navigating the whole process before Sylvia’s CAC was like trying to solve a puzzle without all the pieces or knowing what it was supposed to be.
All to end up with lower prosecution and conviction rates.
The steps for cases before 2010 took a long, sometimes chaotic path with fewer positive outcomes
The following account is fictional. But experiences like that of Carrie’s and young boys and girls like her are very common and occur hundreds of times a year just in Boone County.
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Carrie tells her teacher
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Her teacher tells the principal
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The principal tells the nurse
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The school calls the police
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The police call DCS
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DCS arrives later
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A detective is assigned
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Carrie is sent to the hospital
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The hospital examines Carrie again
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The doctors ask questions
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Detectives call the prosecutor
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The prosecutor arrives
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A counselor is called
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The case inches forward to court
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Defense attorneys are involved
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The case fails
Once Sylvia’s CAC started, cases and a team came together
After Sylvia’s CAC opened in 2010, a multidisciplinary team (MDT) came together in one place, for one purpose, and one goal: the successful intervention and prosecution of crimes against kids.
Today, kids and families come to Sylvia’s CAC and
- Receive immediate response, with severe cases receiving 24/7 forensic interview access
- Long-term advocacy, with an Advocate dedicated to them and their case for as long as they need it
- Mental health referrals, complete with expedited care requests for serious cases
- Physical healthcare referrals with trauma-informed, SANE-trained nurses
Now, the puzzle pieces to a case snap together in one place. Prosecution rates are 10-20% higher, and the whole experience is easier, safer, and comprehensive.
Today, the process for investigating crimes against kids is dramatically more efficient and smoother…
Real situations like this happen nearly every week at Sylvia’s CAC. While still hard for everyone, the process is streamlined, shorter, and better equipped to help kids like Carrie, her mom, prosecutors, and the criminal justice process.
1
Carrie tells her teacher
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Her teacher tells the principal
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Police arrive
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Carrie comes to Sylvia’s CAC
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The police call DCS
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Prosecutors find enough evidence
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Carrie is taken to a children’s hospital
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Advocates get to work
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A case is built
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A jury convicts
All this is made possible with the generous support of donors like you
Who was Sylvia Likens? Donate to Sylvia’s CAC
