Resources

TRAINING RESOURCES

COMMUNITY PRESENTATIONS

Find everything you need to begin a conversation in your community. The Start by Believing slideshow introduces the philosophy with heartbreaking news stories from across the country, and inspiring examples of local, regional, and statewide initiatives. The Research-Based Presentation can be tailored with local information to explain the rationale, purpose, and potential impact of a campaign.

SUPPORTING RESEARCH

Training materials explain the rationale for Start by Believing, document its research base, and demonstrate its potential impact. Feel free to use this information to develop your own campaign materials, training resources, grant proposals, and more.

RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT

Interviews with Victims vs. Suspects: Start by Believing and the Question of Bias (10/2018)

Sexual assault victims have long faced unwarranted skepticism from friends and family members, as well as responding professionals. In this Training Bulletin, we document examples of this historical bias and examine a few measures that have been taken to help ameliorate it. In particular, we focus on the Start by Believing philosophy and examine its relevance for victim and suspect interviews. Our goal is to inform criminal justice professionals and others about what this philosophy does – and does not – say about how to approach sexual assault cases, including interviews with victims, suspects, and witnesses. Ultimately, we emphasize that Start by Believing is an approach to conducting thorough, professional, and unbiased investigations.

CAMPAIGN MATERIALS

ACTION KITS

There are many ways to take action, and our kits give you the tips and tools you need to get started. They are individually tailored and filled with examples from other communities.

GRAPHICS AND TEMPLATES

No need to “re-invent the wheel” when you can use
materials created and shared by other communities.

Proclamation for City, County, State, or Campus

PRINT MATERIALS

Adapt our materials to spread the word, or create your own using
logo graphics and text.

Start by Believing Material

SPANISH AND PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE RESOURCES

SPANISH LANGUAGE

Extend your reach with materials translated into Spanish.

PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE

Extend your reach with material translated into Portuguese

RESOURCE SPOTLIGHT

In several of our training materials, we highlight the case of 18-year old Marie Adler, who was prosecuted for filing a false report of sexual assault, despite compelling physical evidence that she had been bound, gagged, and raped by a stranger who broke into her home. Marie was prosecuted for false reporting, fined $500, sent to counseling for lying, and placed on supervised probation. Her name was only cleared after her rapist was arrested in another state for a series of sexual assaults.

Marie’s case was documented in a Pulitzer Prize-winning article, entitled An Unbelievable Story of Rape, which was later developed into a book called A False Report: A True Story of Rape in America, written by T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong. This incredible story has been translated and is now available in Spanish, German, and Portuguese.

START A MOVEMENT IN YOUR COMMUNITY