The National Judicial Education Program is a unique, award-winning project which pioneered judicial education about gender bias.
The National Judicial Education Program (NJEP) was the catalyst for and advisor to over 50 high-level state and federal task forces on gender bias in the courts nationwide. NJEP educates judges, attorneys, and justice system professionals about the ways in which gender bias can undermine fairness in criminal, civil, family, and juvenile law. NJEP has a particular focus on sexual assault cases and cases involving the intersection of sexual assault and domestic violence. NJEP creates resources and provides training on these issues to promote the fair adjudication of these cases.
Learn more about NJEP's history
RESOURCES
NJEP Model Curricula
NJEP has a suite of model curricula exploring issues of sexual abuse and assault, and the intersection of sexual assault and intimate partner violence, and the treatment of these issues in the courts.
Issues
Intimate Partner Sexual Abuse
Justice system professionals, including judges, attorneys, law enforcement officers, probation and parole professionals, and victim advocates require factual information about the realities of sexual assault in order to ensure that these cases are handled fairly. NJEP provides training and develops educational resources to promote the fair adjudication of these cases and to minimize victim re-traumatization while safeguarding the rights of the defendant.
NJEP's offers a free web course on intimate partner sexual abuse called Intimate Partner Sexual Abuse (IPSA): Adjudicating This Hidden Dimension of Domestic Violence Cases.
Based on this web course, NJEP has developed model curricula on sexual assault cases that can be adapted to local laws and practice.
Victim Access to the Justice System
In sexual assault cases, deeply held stereotypes and misconceptions can undermine fairness in the court systems, especially in cases where the victim and perpetrator know each other, which are the vast majority of cases.
Engaging with the justice system is daunting for those on the outside of it, especially those who have been subjected to sexual violence. Victims who are navigating or considering navigating the justice system often turn to trusted advocates to assist them. We created a webcourse to empower victim advocates with the knowledge they need to guide victims through the justice system process called the Victim Advocate Training: Helping Sexual Assault Victims Navigate the Criminal Justice System.
Access the Victim Advocates Training
Teen Dating Violence
Teen dating violence (TDV) is as epidemic, harmful, and potentially lethal as adult domestic violence. Unchecked TDV can entrench a lifetime pattern of perpetration by abusers and acceptance of abuse by victims. The rapidly growing awareness of TDV presents an opportunity for judges, courts, and court-related professionals to protect victims, intervene with perpetrators, and educate the communities they serve on their role in prevention.
View our Full Suite of Teen Dating Abuse and Violence Resources
judicial education
NJEP has provided judicial education to state courts — judges, court personnel, state court administrators, etc. — in over 25 states for over thirty years. We provide education on topics such as adult victim sexual assault cases, teen dating violence, medical forensic sexual assault examinations, the neurobiology of trauma, and more to multi-disciplinary audiences.