Washington State Sexual Offense Bench Guide for Judges

The Washington Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs (WCSAP) recently had the privilege of working with the Washington State Supreme Court Gender and Justice Commission, judicial officers, and the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center (KCSARC) to develop the first edition of the "Sexual Offense Bench Guide for Judges."

The purpose of a bench guide is to educate judicial officers (judges or commissioners) who decide particular types of cases about the law, and also about the underlying issues that may pertain to the case. In the case of a bench guide focused on sexual assault cases, the purpose is to educate judicial officers about sexual offenses specific to the state they preside in, and about the dynamics of sexual violence in general.

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