Since 1986, Rising Ground has been committed to raising awareness of the direct link between intimate partner violence and criminalization by providing direct support to survivors who have been arrested for their efforts to survive and/or resist their abusive partner’s behavior.
Our STEPS Criminalized Survivors Program includes support for survivors who have been arrested for violence against their abusive partner as well as those who have been coerced into illegal activity by an abusive partner. Beyond our therapeutic supports and case management offered to all survivors, we provide legal advocacy and court accompaniment to survivors who are detained at Rikers Island, as well as those in the community facing court involvement. We work directly with defense teams to develop trauma narratives that demonstrate how intimate partner violence brought survivors to the place that preceded their arrest.
We also work to raise awareness of the role intimate partner violence often plays criminalization by partnering with New York City courts, legal professionals, and peer organizations. We provide expert-led trainings to various people in the legal system to help them identify and support criminalized survivors.