The Texas Governor's Office's Sexual Assault Survivors’ Task Force talked about its first biennial report findings during a webinar on Thursday.
The Sexual Assault Survivors’ Task Force was established in 2021 when Senate Bill 476 was approved in the 87th legislative session. SB 476 “requires all Texas counties to form an adult Sexual Assault Response Team (SART) to create a statewide network of resources, awareness, connection, and coordination to address sex crimes locally,” according to the governor’s webpage.
Texas mandated adult SART teams for all 254 counties, overseen by the county Commissioner’s Court. In rural areas, the bill permits two or more neighboring counties with a population of 250,000 or fewer to establish a multicounty response team.
Response teams are made up of organizations and agencies that collaborate to provide comprehensive support for adult sexual assault survivors. These teams must follow specific conditions, including holding regular meetings, having six mandated members, appointing an elected presiding officer or coordinator, adhering to specific evaluation criteria, case reviews, and completing four hours of cross-training annually. SARTs also develop a written protocol for their approach to supporting and caring for adult survivors in their respective counties.
The webinar, named “SARTs in Texas: What We Have Learned and What’s Next,” was led by two prominent figures in the field: Rose Luna, CEO of the Texas Association Against Sexual Assault, and Deepika Modali, SART project coordinator.
Luna and Modali offered a detailed analysis and insights into the first statewide SART biennial reports.
The discussion focused on the importance of working together and communicating effectively among the various agencies and organizations involved in responding to sexual assault cases. The need for continuous training and education was also emphasized to ensure that all members of the SARTs are equipped with current information, skills, and resources to provide empathetic and effective care to survivors of sexual assault.
“We address the reality on the ground,” Luna said, adding, “SART is a place where we can connect the dots and hopefully fill in the gaps.”
Modali pointed out that prior to SB 476’s implementation, around 33% of Texas counties had a SART. Since the bill was enacted, approximately 53% of Texas counties have a SART.
“This makes me hopeful to see such a huge jump in a couple of years,” Modali said, adding that “the bill is a great framework.”
In the first biennial report evaluation, Modali explained that 57 reports were received, representing 93 of the 136 counties known to have an established SART. Forty-six reports were from individual counties, and 11 encompassed regional SART reports.
The report evaluation showed that most SARTs had all six mandated members, primarily met quarterly, and collected data focused on law enforcement. However, the law enforcement data received was not consistent throughout, as reported by The Dallas Express.
The reports mentioned several concerns. For example, the Tarrant County SART found a lack of victim services due to unsolved cases. Wilson County found a gap between law enforcement and essential resources. Borden, Glassrock, Howard, Martin, and Scurry Counties had concerns about long hospital wait times for sexual assault victims and limited availability of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner exams, known as SANEs.
The concerns also served as focal points for improvement. For instance, Jefferson County will investigate how sex offenders are tracked and monitored through probation, parole, and beyond.
The report evaluations also highlighted positives. Blanco, Burnet, and Llano’s Regional SART created a data collection system and experienced significant increases in sexual assault hotline calls and SANE accompaniments.
Luna explained that, based on the evaluation of the county reports, each county is at a different stage in establishing its SART, but progress is being made and monitored.
“We learned that this is a very new process, and we are still trying to figure out what is the best way to move forward,” explained Modali.
Modali suggested various ways to move forward, such as adding different assessment tools to support the creation of SARTs, including tailored technical assistance, case review protocol, and adjusting the biennial report framework.
