Fighting for Survivors, Hurdles, and Navigating the Criminal Justice System: Insights from a Retired SVU Detective, Justin Boardman | Ep 13

Warning: This episode contains discussion of sexual assault, including the sexual abuse of minors.

In this powerful episode of Rights + Remedies, I'm joined by Justin Boardman, retired detective and nationally recognised advocate for trauma-informed policing. 

Justin Boardman served as a detective in the Special Victims Unit for 15 years. Today, he’s a national speaker, consultant, and advocate for trauma-informed practices in gender-based violence cases. He co-authored a trauma-informed interview protocol that’s been proven to increase prosecutions, and now helps communities and justice professionals shift culture, improve investigations, and centre survivor experiences.

In today's episode, Justin opens up about the hard truths of his early days in law enforcement, where he admits to not believing survivors and closing cases based on inconsistencies in their stories.

But his perspective changed. 

Now, he's dedicated his life to changing the systems that failed survivors for too long.

And we cover:
 🔹 Why trauma can cause survivors to forget, pause, or leave gaps—and why this shouldn’t discredit their stories
 🔹 The need for trauma-informed training in police departments, and why it’s still not mandatory
 🔹 Justin’s push to make strangulation a felony, not a misdemeanor
 🔹 How systems unintentionally re-victimize survivors, and how to stop it
 🔹 What victim-centric, suspect-focused investigations should look like
 🔹 The work he’s now doing to consult with agencies, train officers, review cases, and support survivor-led justice

With nearly 300 forensic child victim interviews and 140 adult sexual assault interviews under his belt, Justin knows firsthand the power of believing survivors - and the danger of not.

Connect with Justin Boardman:

📱 For more on Justin's training and consultancy services, vist his Website

REFERENCES:
- Abby Honold Act