Discussion Guide

 

 

Understanding and Reaching Crime Victims with 
Incarceration Histories: A Webinar for VOCA 
Administrators, Part 1 

By Kaitlin Kall March 2019 

 

These discussion questions can be used to help facilitate a dialogue with your 
colleagues about how the content of this webinar applies to your work. 

 

Webinar description: 

Survivors who have a history of incarceration often have difficulty locating victim 
services that are supportive, welcoming, and inclusive. The deep stigma associated 
with incarceration can also make it challenging for victim service providers to view 
these survivors as “victims” and feel comfortable serving them. In this webinar for 
VOCA administrators, Allison Hastings of the Vera Institute of Justice provides 
foundational information about this population of crime victims that so rarely 
receives healing services, discusses the barriers that keep these victims from 
accessing services, and introduces strategies for supporting formerly incarcerated 
survivors. Jan Lastocy, a former Board and Survivor Council Member of Just 
Detention International, also shares about her experience of being sexually 
assaulted while incarcerated and her journey towards finding healing and justice. 

 


Discussion Questions for VOCA Administrators

 

 

1. What steps can you take to learn more about reentry and organizations 
serving formerly incarcerated people in your state? 
2. Since the 2016 VOCA rule change, there is no longer a federal prohibition 
preventing VOCA funds from being used to serve survivors in detention 
facilities. Yet, some in the field remain unaware of this change. What can 
you do to educate potential grant applicants about the availability of these 
funds for serving incarcerated and formerly incarcerated survivors? 


 

3. The presenters discussed populations that are disproportionately 
represented in prisons and jails including LGBTQ people, people with 
disabilities, people of color, and people with mental illnesses. Do you 
currently fund organizations working with any of these populations? If yes, 
how might you support these organizations to expand their knowledge, 
skills, and practices to enhance services for formerly incarcerated 
survivors? 


 

Disc

ussion Questions for Victim Service Providers

 

 

1. What stood out to you most about Jan’s story? How might her story inform 
the way you deliver services to survivors who have been incarcerated? 


 

2. What steps could you take to learn about local reentry services? How could 
a partnership or coordination with a reentry service organization help you 
reach more formerly incarcerated survivors (e.g., making sure each 
organization has brochures or posters for the other’s services, creating a 



memorandum of understanding that describes procedures for screening 
and referrals, etc.)? 
3.The presenters discussed populations that are overly represented in prisonsand jails including LGBTQ people, people with disabilities, people of color,
and people with mental illnesses. What steps could you take to formpartnerships with organizations already serving these communities in orderto reach more formerly incarcerated survivors?

This document was produced by the Vera Institute of Justice under award #2016-
XV-GX-K015, awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice􀀠Programs, U.S. 
Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations 
expressed in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent 
the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice. 

Author: Kaitlin Kall, National Resource Center Technical Assistance Provider 
for Formerly Incarcerated Survivors; Senior Program Associate, Vera 
Institute of Justice.