The National Sexual Violence Resource Center and the Association for the Treatment and Prevention of Sexual Abuse will honor Cal State Fullerton Associate Professor of Criminal Justice Alissa Ackerman with the 2024 Gail Burns-Smith Award at the 2024 National Sexual Assault Conference.
Ackerman is the co-founder and owner of the organization Ampersands Restorative Justice, which is dedicated to restorative justice for sexual harm.
Presented jointly by ATSA and NSVRC, the award is named in honor of Burns-Smith, one of the first advocates to recognize and speak publicly about the importance of collaboration between victim advocates and those working in sex offender management to effectively prevent child sexual abuse.
In the spirit of Burns-Smith’s work, Ackerman said she has used her experiences as a practitioner, academic and survivor to understand “everything she can about sexual offending, the impacts of sexual victimization and restorative options for those impacted by sexual harm.”
She holds a Ph.D. in criminal justice from the City University of New York. Early in her career, her research focused on the detrimental impacts of sex crimes policies and practices in the United States. This, combined with her participation in a community-led treatment program for perpetrators who had committed sexual offenses in the past, led to her understanding that efforts to prevent sexual abuse, assault and harassment must include treatment for people who perpetrate.
Her accomplishments include: authoring and co-editing eight books; co-authoring an article in CUNY Law Review; writing 35 peer-reviewed journal articles; hosting two seasons of Beyond Fear: The Sex Crimes Podcast; co-editing a special edition of the Journal of Sexual Abuse; and giving 75 talks and trainings domestically and internationally, such as her 2018 TEDx Talk. Her steadfast dedication to understanding the underlying factors behind why sexual violence occurs, the need for individual and institutional accountability, and pathways to healing for survivors and people who perpetrate underscore why she is more than worth the recognition this award brings.
Read more in the National Sexual Violence Resource Center news release.