Serving the Community as District Attorney (Part 2)

In Episode 5, Nancy O’Malley describes her experience as the District Attorney of Alameda County, California and her work following her retirement to work on policy issues to improve the response to sexual violence, intimate partner violence, stalking, and human trafficking. She discusses how her prosecution-focused career provided her the opportunity to develop and implement — at the case, office, and national levels- policies and practices that works to counter bias and support victim-centered, trauma-informed practices that ensure justice for all. As a result of this episode, listeners will be better prepared to:-Enhance justice and safety for victims and communities.-Improve victim’s experience and perception of justice.-Enhance public trust in prosecutorial decision making.Former District Attorney of Alameda County (California), Nancy E. O’Malley, served from September 2009 through her retirement in January 2023. Nancy is a nationally recognized expert in issues involving violence against women, violence against persons with disabilities, and interpersonal violence including sexual assault, domestic violence, elder abuse, child abuse, stalking, and human exploitation and trafficking. Nancy was the first woman to serve as Alameda County’s elected District Attorney, and as a leader known throughout California and the country for her innovation and vision. Nancy is a strong advocate for victims’ rights, creating many innovative programs during her time in office, including the HEAT (Human Exploitation and Trafficking) Unit, which she founded in 2006. She also led the statewide charge in response to human trafficking. This involved vigorously prosecuting traffickers (particularly those selling children for sex), targeting the purchasers, as well as changing perceptions about those trafficked – treating them not as criminals, but as victims. In 2010, Nancy launched the HEAT Watch Program, which is a replicable, multidisciplinary 5-prong blueprint to guide and unite prosecutors, police, service providers, and communities in the fight against human trafficking. The HEAT Watch program, which became a widely used national model, was the first of its kind in California and the first to operate within a public prosecution office in the United States.This project was supported by Grant No. 15JOVW-24-GK-03009-MUMU awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women.Season 1 sound editing and graphic design by Jacob D. Long. Music by ⁠MaxKoMusic⁠.