In this Bell Work Talk, Casey Gwinn will begin by exploring what first led to the work and research surrounding hidden homicides. He will also examine the scope of these cases and how often they may go unrecognized or misclassified. The conversation will explore the factors that can contribute to a homicide being missed, as well as the warning signs professionals should be aware of. Finally, Casey will highlight efforts to improve the identification while also discussing strategies to help prevent homicides before they occur.
Casey Gwinn is the co-founder of Alliance for HOPE International and former elected San Diego City Attorney. He is the founder of Camp HOPE America and the visionary behind the international Family Justice Center movement. He is recognized as an international expert on domestic violence, child abuse and sexual assault and strangulation. He is a frequently requested keynote speaker or invited guest on talk shows, podcasts and/or news stories. Casey has authored or co-authored more than ten books including his current bestseller, Hope Rising: How the Science of HOPE Can Change Your Life. With decades of experience, Casey remains at the forefront of efforts to create safe, healthier communities across the nation. Together Casey and Gael Strack are now working to raise awareness about homicides staged as suicides. They are addressing gaps in training, protocols and legislation for both law enforcement and family members of lost loved ones through the Justice Project, a program of Alliance for HOPE International. Most recently Gael researched and Casey wrote the first legislation in the country, SB989, to address suspicious death cases in honor of Joanna Hunter who was murdered in October 2011. This landmark legislation from California gives family members more access to records, officers more access to training and incorporates ten factors of a suspicious death in intimate partner cases as well as provides legislative intent which clearly makes a suicide with a history of domestic violence a suspicious death case warranting a full investigation, interviews with family members and an autopsy. While Casey has spent his career seeking to prevent homicides from happening in the first place, the worst injustice is letting someone get away with murder.
Resources:
- 10 Factors of a Suspicious Death in Domestic Violence Relationships - https://www.allianceforhope.org/training-institute-on-strangulation-prevention/resources/10-factors-of-a-suspicious-death-in-domestic-violence-relationships
- Voices For Victims Of Hidden Homicides - Family Impact Statements Vol. I - https://www.allianceforhope.org/training-institute-on-strangulation-prevention/resources/voices-for-victims-of-hidden-homicides-family-impact-statements-vol-i
- Joanna’s Law - https://www.allianceforhope.org/training-institute-on-strangulation-prevention/strangulation-legislation/california/laws/suspicious-death-laws
- Justice Project Website - https://www.allianceforhope.org/justice-project
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15 Jul 2026
Episode 75: Trauma-Informed Forensic Exams for Incarcerated Survivors of Sexual Assault
In this Bell Work Talk, Cynthia Totten from Just Detention International will provide an overview of key considerations for forensic nurses providing sexual assault medical forensic exams for incarcerated patients. She will emphasize the importance of a trauma-informed approach, balancing safety concerns with the patient’s right to privacy and dignity, and advanced coordination with the correctional facility and survivor advocacy organization.
Cynthia Totten, Esq, is a Deputy Executive Director at Just Detention International, a health and human rights organization that seeks to end sexual abuse in all forms of detention. Cynthia leads JDI’s national training and technical assistance program, supporting the work of state and tribal sexual assault coalitions, victim advocates, forensic nurses, corrections officials, and funding administrators to ensure that incarcerated survivors have access to crisis services. Additionally, she works with corrections agencies on adopting policies that keep prisoners safe from sexual abuse. A lawyer with over two decades of experience in human and civil rights work, Cynthia also advocates to bring core human rights standards into U.S. prisons and jails, and contributes to JDI’s federal policy and international programs.
Resources:
• https://justdetention.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/10-Providing-Sexual-Assault-Medical-Forensic-Exam-Accompaniment.pdf (this 1-pager resource was written for survivor advocates, but contains information that will be useful for forensic nurses).
• https://evawintl.org/vp/ (SAMFE Virtual Practicum)
• https://www.prearesourcecenter.org/sites/default/files/library/Slides%20-%20Medical%20Forensic%20Exams%20for%20Individuals%20in%20Confinement%20-%20Critical%20Roles%2C%20Responsibilities%2C%20and%20Practices.pdf
• https://www.justice.gov/sites/default/files/ovw/legacy/2013/08/12/confinement-safe-protocol.pdf
• https://justdetention.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/2-An-Overview-of-Sexual-Abuse-in-Detention.pdf
• https://justdetention.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/4-Understanding-Detention-Facilities.pdf
• https://justdetention.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Fact-sheet-Why-Didn%E2%80%99t-They-Say-Anything-Key-Barriers-to-Reporting-Sexual-Abuse-in-Detention.pdf
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ3mhPwvvU8 (this webinar on accompanying incarcerated survivors at forensic exams was developed for survivor advocates but will be useful for forensic nurses as well).
• https://justdetention.org/webinar/medical-forensic-exams-for-incarcerated-survivors-prea-case-studies/ (English)
• https://justdetention.org/webinar/spanish-version-medical-forensic-exams-for-incarcerated-survivors-prea-case-studies/ (Spanish)
https://www.justice.gov/ovw/media/1367191/dl?inline
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19 May 2026
Episode 74: Sexual assault survivor experiences with police
In this Bell Work Talk, Ben McLean discusses results from the first large scale prospective study evaluating sexual assault survivor experiences with the police. Survivors in our study received SANE care in one of 12 sites across the country. Survivor experiences with police were assessed at 6 weeks. We found that roughly ¾ of survivors were interested in speaking with the police, most survivors spoke with the police (65%), and nearly 90% of survivors were satisfied overall by how the police treated them. Latinas and survivors with lower income were less likely to speak with police, while survivors with greater posttraumatic stress or previous trauma reported worse experiences with the police. We also report qualitative comments by survivors of their experiences with the police and propose a trauma informed mnemonic for police to keep in mind when interacting with survivors.
Ben McLean is a current 4th year medical student at UNC school of medicine. Ben has researched sexual assault outcomes through the Better Tomorrow Network for the past 10 years. In addition to investigating sexual assault survivor experiences with police, he has been a co-author on a manuscript evaluating sexual assault survivor health care utilization. He has also conducted research related to classifying gene and genetic variant-disease relationships through a lab at UNC. He previously has worked as an EMT in NC, Vermont, and New Hampshire. He currently is working on a manuscript as first author evaluating sexual assault outcomes among Latina sexual assault survivors in the year after sexual assault.
Resources:
https://www.med.unc.edu/itr/better-tomorrow-network/
https://www.med.unc.edu/itr/better-tomorrow-network/our-research/publications/
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Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
4.6 / 5
11 ratings
Spotify
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Podcast Authority Score: 53 / 100
A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.
Quality
71
Social presence
0
YouTube
0
Engagement
85
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