Special Victims Unit

The Special Victims Unit is a cooperative effort among a number of City agencies, including: Social Services Bureau, Police Department, Commonwealth's Attorney's Office, City Attorney's Office, Victim - Witness Program, and Community Diversion Incentive Program. The program focuses on sexual abuse of children by adults who have a custodial or supervisory relationship with the child.

The program's principle aims are to:

1. Discover and stop the sexual abuse of the child and prevent its recurrence;
2. Provide treatment and support services for the child to help the child overcome the trauma of abuse;
3. Provide treatment and support for both the non-offending parent or parents and for the offender when they are receptive and amendable to treatment and support; and
4. Punish the offender for committing the abuse and provide a framework for probation and parole that will maximize the monitoring of the offender and minimize the possibility of remolestation.

These aims are accomplished through a program that has the following components:

1. Criminal investigation and prosecution of the offender, with sentencing oriented toward limited incarceration and strictly conditioned probation in the case of offenders amenable to treatment;
2. Civil litigation, where appropriate, under the State's child abuse statues, so that upon finding that the child is abused and neglected, the court can assume control over the custodial rights of the parents and ensure that they cooperate with support services aimed at serving the child and family;
3. Referral of victims, treatable offenders and other family members, where appropriate, to local therapists who have expertise in child sexual abuse; and
4. Referral of offenders and their families to Parents United, a self-help group assisted by trained volunteers.