The Dallas Express sat down with Amy Jones, CEO of the Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center, to get her perspective on what is and isn’t working when it comes to advocating for those affected by sexual violence.
Retraumatization is, unfortunately, common for survivors of sexual violence. As such, in addition to supporting survivors through primary trauma, critical non-profit support centers such as Dallas Area Rape Crisis Center (DARCC) do a lot of work to help survivors resolve and process secondary trauma — trauma that occurs after the assault.
Jones is a licensed professional counselor who has dedicated her life’s work to stand in the gap to support survivors, be an advocate against sexual violence, and promote social change. As CEO of DARCC, Jones knows the importance of crisis intervention, proper case management, education, community outreach programs, counseling, and medical and legal support.
Many survivors of sexual violence speak of retraumatization, which can occur when a victim of sexual assault does not have confidence in the aid and resources needed to assist in their healing. Examples of this include the victim’s support system not being understanding of the situation, local police officers and Texas Rangers not being trauma-informed or adequately trained on what constitutes sexual violence, or community apathy regarding conversations about sexual violence.
Speaking about the need to support survivors through the criminal justice process, Jones noted that DARCC works with law enforcement on a daily basis. As such, she hears stories about survivors engaging with law enforcement. Some have experiences with officers who are clearly not trauma-informed, while others report excellent responses from law enforcement.
“There are some incredible officers and detectives out there, and then there are some that their response is so retraumatizing for a survivor that oftentimes that survivor doesn’t want to continue moving through the journey of investigation and prosecution,” Jones told The Dallas Express.
“It can be absolutely devastating to a survivor when they interact with an officer or a detective, and the response feels accusatory, it feels victim-blaming, it feels absolutely undermining — that sets the stage for the survivor to start to question themselves, to doubt their own truth, and really interfere with their recovery and the healing after an experience with sexual assault,” she said.
When a survivor decides to tell their story to someone who they believe is supposed to be part of the healing process, the existing systems can purportedly sometimes become undermining, disrespectful, or accusatory, according to Jones.
“These interactions communicate to a survivor: I don’t believe you, it was your fault, why are you wasting my time,” said Jones. “This is another layer of trauma, and the impact is profound.”
Secondary trauma is real, and it is a real problem, she said.
“So much of the work we do in counseling is actually to help resolve the secondary trauma — the trauma after the trauma,” explained Jones.
Sexual violence is one of the most underreported crimes, and part of the reason is that survivors often do not have faith that they will be heard, believed, and supported through the healing process. Jones clarified that most instances of sexual violence happen within a known relationship, adding that the survivors they assist in Dallas County typically fall within that category.
The survivor may have been in a trusted relationship with the perpetrator, even romantically, with a co-worker, a friend, or a family member. What is important to know is that “this relationship of trust can be used as a weapon,” said Jones.
“When it is someone you know and trust, your guard is down. You are confused when they start acting in ways that seem out of character or unsafe. When they tell you that ‘you caused this’ or ‘you wanted this’ — they sow seeds of doubt. That cannot happen with a stranger. That can only happen where a relationship is already present. This is a powerful, powerful way these perpetrators can abuse this dynamic,” she said.
As most sexual violence stems from known relationships, survivors not only have to manage their own emotions but also come up against the internalized beliefs of others as to what is and isn’t rape.
“So much of the work we do here [at DARCC] is to help survivors form some understanding of what justice might be for them because if justice looks like it is going to make it all the way through to conviction and sentencing, many, many, many, many are going to be left without any sense of justice,” cautioned Jones.
“We try to help survivors understand the barriers. Just because it was not true billed does not mean it did not happen. And I know this can feel unbelievably unjust, frustrating, and overwhelming. And, frankly, as a member of this community, it is terrifying to know that there are perpetrators out there that will not be held accountable,” Jones said.
Knowing what survivors are up against, Jones is in awe at the potential for human resilience.
“It is amazing what the human soul and mind can process. To be able to put the pieces together, to quiet that cognitive dissonance, and to find some sort of peace and ability to heal and move through this knowing that perhaps the perpetrator will not be brought to account, or that maybe they have someone who does not believe them,” she said. “There is no black-and-white answer. Healing and justice may look different than what we expect.”
Jones invites individuals to “consider what might justice look like to them if it doesn’t end up being conviction and sentencing. What are other experiences of feeling heard, believed, seen, and supported? We conflate justice with the criminal justice system, but that is just one mode of justice, and we know there are barriers there.”
“Survivors, when given the space, time, and opportunity to explore what justice looks like for themselves, often come up with many answers to what justice looks like,” said Jones, ranging from “I have told my truth no matter what the outcome is” or “I have decided to find joy and some peace. I am not going to lose my ability to trust and love.”
“We are a survivor-led organization from the sense we let the survivor tell us what justice means to them, and we support them in exploring what that is,” added Jones. “We show up and provide survivors with what they need to make whatever choice and decision feels right to them, and then we support them in that.”
Jones noted that DARCC did not officially begin to offer services until 2010. “Dallas County was really, really, really behind the game in having a coordinated community response for sexual assault,” she said.
It is worth noting that DARCC operates primarily on grants, without any financial assistance from the City or sizable support from other City resources and officials. Conversations around accountability and awareness of the widespread issue of sexual violence are surfacing, albeit slowly and with growing pains in Dallas, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
“Every single person either is someone, or they know and they love someone, who is a victim of sexual violence whether they know it or not. So, we need to talk about it. We need to make space for it. People need to get comfortable having these conversations,” said Jones. “This is a significant issue.”
You can support the work of DARCC by becoming a volunteer or a donor. Jones also stressed that people need to be present for survivors, believing and supporting them in their healing journey. Jones concluded by saying, “I want every survivor who reads this story to know they are not alone. There is an organization full of people who are here to support them, who are here to walk with them through this journey — whatever that looks like for them — and we start by believing them — they do not have to worry about that barrier when they get here.”
24-Hour Crisis Hotline: 972-641-7273
National Sexual Assault Hotline (RAINN): https://hotline.rainn.org/online
Last year in Dallas, there were 760 sex crime offenses logged. The victims of these offenses — which include rape, fondling, and forcible sodomy — were primarily black and Hispanic women and girls. According to the City’s crime analytics dashboard, as of February 16, another 63 have already been reported.
The Dallas Police Department faces a significant staff shortage, with only 3,000 officers in the field. A City analysis recommended that around 4,000 officers are needed to ensure public safety. However, the City officials have budgeted only $654 million for police operations this year, much less than what other high-crime jurisdictions, such as New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago, spend.