The Innocent Justice Foundation

This is an incredible organization that supports professionals who work with trauma on a daily basis. Through my work with TIJF, I've learned about vicarious trauma, and how these professionals who work primarily in internet crimes against children departments, can experience severe trauma from their exposure to the material and situations that they are exposed to in order to keep our children safe. TIJF provides mental health solutions, trainings, and techniques to keep our ICAC teams mentally healthy and able to continue to serve in such a valuable way.

I've been fortunate to be associated with TIJF for the past seven years. Initially, I was a client and can honestly say the training changed the way my team did business in a very positive way. After three years, I became a part-time instructor so that I could help others the way TIJF helped me. My time with TIJF has been one of the most meaningful parts of my three-decade-plus career in public service. In many classes, there are people who start with their arms crossed defensively in front of them. It's obvious they are only there because someone said that had to be. But it doesn't take long until those same people drop their defensive stance, lean into the content, and nod their heads in the affirmative as they relate to what we are saying. Those are the moments that make it all worthwhile.

It is an honor and a privilege to serve The Innocent Justice Foundation (TIJF). This incredible organization is a leader in working to support law enforcement officers who identify and rescue sexually abused and exploited children and hold the predators who harm those children accountable, and the people who work within the organization are extraordinarily dedicated to TIJF’s mission. In addition to providing effective skill-building trainings for wellness, they “walk the talk” in every way. Through TIJF, I’ve learned more about what our first responders face, how we can support them, and how those same resiliency-building supports help create resilient communities. I remain deeply grateful to The Innocent Justice Foundation for the lives they enhance, the lives they’ve saved, and the way they help me support the wellbeing of those in my community as well. I will continue to support TIJF for as long as I’m able, and I hope others will join me.

As a law enforcement officer for over 35 years, I have seen first-hand how this job can affect my brothers and sisters both mentally and physically.

I highly recommend The Innocent Justice Foundation (TIJF) organization because they provide training and resources for law enforcement officers experiencing vicarious trauma. The organization is doing a great job of raising awareness and providing guidance to help law enforcement professionals manage the stress and trauma that can come with their work. The training programs offered by TIJF are comprehensive and well-structured, providing participants with a solid understanding of the causes and effects of vicarious trauma. The resources provided by the TIJF are invaluable, offering practical tools and strategies for managing and avoiding vicarious traumatization. It's evident that this nonprofit is making a real difference in the lives of those who have chosen to dedicate their lives to serving and protecting their communities.

The work The Innocent Justice Foundation does to help Law Enforcement individuals is truly amazing! The tools they provide for mental health and wellness are important and much-needed for those working in a career with such sensitive material. Thank you for the support you offer and to the caring staff of TIJF.

IJ is filling a much-needed role that almost no one else is undertaking. Mental health and wellness and sustainability for law enforcement and other professionals who must view child exploitation materials.

I've had the pleasure of being associated with The Innocent Justice Foundation for several years and have watched as they have opened minds and provided first responders with the tools and training to understand and improve their mental health and wellness. The staff at TIJF are some of the most caring and dedicated individuals I have worked with and their commitment to working with first responders and making these important trainings available is second-to-none.

I was introduced to TIJF a few years ago and have been so impressed with them. Providing mental health training to law enforcement officers, and other professionals working to keep our kids safe, is essential and lacking. TIJF fills this need with compassion, understanding, expertise, and patience. They work tirelessly to keep our local heroes healthy and committed. They're an amazing group of people.

Providing law enforcement and other professionals that investigate Child Exploitation how they can be effected by Vicarous Trauma, and tools they can use for their mental and physical health. More training with task forces, less conference blocks.

This non-profit is absolutely vital to the well being of our incredible front line folks addressing horrific abuse of children. Too many stories to mention here but incredible work!

I am so impressed with the work that The Innocent Justice has been doing to help first responders so that they can continue to do the important work they do! I have been a donor for over 9 years.

After taking a HART Resiliency training, I have so many new tools to use for stress relief. The trainers were a wealth of knowledge and provided examples that made the course material easily understood. What an amazing organization!! Thank you for your support!

I have a family member who works for this organization and I know how hard they work to both support law enforcement and others who work with victims and are exposed to traumatic experiences in their jobs. They also work to inform the public about the dangers and growth in child exploitation on the internet. This is a small but passionate organization and very valuable to everyone it serves.

The company I work for is sponsoring a Giving Tuesday 2020 matching donation for this special organization. Small and mighty, this organization works to support the mental health and wellness of those who are put at risk of depression, anxiety, and secondary stress from the work they do in law enforcement, victim services, and other helping fields. Mental health programs help to keep professionals like these doing the work they do, and supporting our communities. Most impressive is the work they do to support Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force teams across the country. Supporting the men and women who are saving children and putting predators behind bars across this nation is fantastic and noteworthy.

As a former supervisor with the South Florida ICAC TF, the Innocent Justice Foundation worked closely with our department to ensure that we had the ability to keep law enforcement professionals mentally healthy while working abuse investigations and provided us tools to prevent burnout which was commonly observed. The programs that they helped establish from their guidance also gave us the ability to work the most difficult cases of sexual exploitation of children and crimes against persons. At the same time, educated supervisors and command staff to understand the victimization of law enforcement professionals working in this environment and provided them the tools to retain personnel.
Joe Weller

The Innocent Justice Foundation is an amazing organization that continues to help thousands of people involved in the criminal justice system. I have been in law enforcement for 33 years and 6 years in the military. This is something we all need, and The Innocent Justice Foundation has the answer. This program addresses many needs of the investigators and allows for a healthy professional so they can address the communities needs. We must have the best for our staff so they can do the hard work needed to keep our children safe. This is a blessing for everyone involved in the sexual exploitation of children and crimes against persons.
Jerry B

As a mental health professional, I have nothing but good things to say about The Innocent Justice Foundation. Their level of concern and support for the mental well-being of law enforcement officers is unsurpassed!

The Innocent Justice Foundation is a recognized leader globally in consulting and providing the Wellness tools for criminal justice professionals that experience vicarious trauma when working investigation involving children being exploited. As a law enforcement professional of 32 years, I appreciate their commitment to making a difference.
Anthony M.

We have worked closely with The Innocent Justice Foundation implementing Supporting Heroes In Mental Foundational Training (SHIFT) Wellness as well as implementing a pilot initiative surrounding a wellness program specifically for our ICAC task force. The Innocent Justice Foundation has proven their commitment and continued investment in supporting the broad community of service providers with a high incidence of secondary trauma. They are great people doing great work!

I was part of the initial group of experts who started the SHIFT program and can tell you from experience I have yet to meet a more caring, compassionate and driven group of professionals in my career.

The impact they have had undoubtedly had in the area of wellness for those on the front lines of child protection is immeasurable as prior to this program, very few (if any) programs like it existed. Consequently those in harms way were left to work though the often difficult/sometimes devastating impacts of repeated and prolonged exposure to some of the most horrific events. Because of this program, I am certain many have been able to identify and address issues that may arise and most importantly continue the fight for our most vulnerable population doing work that few are qualified to do and even fewer are driven to do.

My hats off to these amazing professionals!

I started as a founding board member for TIJF because I believed and still do in what they do! Helping with not only officers in the field but in the day to day dealing with such a STRONG subject manor. Even after stepping down from the board I do what I can to help and feel that other should too. I talk about the foundation ALL the TIME!!!!

The dedication and commitment at Innocent Justice is unwavering. They work tirelessly to help rescue as many children from child abuse as possible. Ultimately, they are not afraid to face the tough issues.

Thanks to Innocent Justice I've become aware of these issues and I've become very passionate about getting child molesters off the streets. We no longer have to stand by wishing there was something we could do- Innocent Justice has shown a clear way to help.

The Innocent Justice Foundation worked closely with our department to ensure we had the ability to purchase essential technology equipment to help protect children. We are thankful for their help in this process and we've been using this technology successfully to protect children in our community!

Santa Cruz Police Department

The Innocent Justice Foundation (IJF) has undoubtedly made a difference in countless children's lives. Because of the IJF, I have shifted the focus of my investigations to locating and bringing to justice those individuals who take advantage and do life long harm to children. I have helped in putting away MANY sick individuals, some for over 15 years, who otherwise would still be out on the streets harming our youth. Thank you IJF for everything!!

Since beginning my involvement with crimes against children, Innocent Justice has always been at the forefront of the fight to educate the public and assist law enforcement when it comes to ending the sexual exploitation of children. I first had the privilege of meeting Heather Steele through mutiple social networking sites on the Internet and was honored to finally meet her in person at several of the conferences that I have attended over the past year. The support and mental health training that Innocent Justice delivers to thousands of law enforcement officers a year who investigate crimes against children is delivered professionally and effectively and often gets lost in the publicity of sensational stories about child sexual abuse and the burdens of everyday policing. Thank you Innocent Justice for your continued support!

The Innocent Justice Foundation and Heather Steele go above and beyond to help and protect the citizens and communities throughout the country. They have help our Sheriffs Department with knowledge and direction. This in turn has assisted out community. They are a asset to the Law Enforcement world.

I was very impressed with the Innocent Justice Foundation. Heather Steele is a very dedicated worker who was able to find us funding for very specific needs of our ICAC Unit. She is a very talented, professional and organized grant writer. An excellent resource!

Being in a small police agency on a very limited budget, we often have to go without the right tools we need to do our jobs. Occasionally we get assistance from larger neighboring agencies who do have some of these tools, but sometimes they aren't available or we feel like we are pestering them with so many requests for help. A Cellebrite cell phone data retrieval device was one such tool that we simply couldn't afford on our own, but The Innocent Justice Foundation was able to obtain grant funding on our behalf for such a purchase. As a result of having this tool, we have recovered child pornography images off a suspect's cell phone and have used the device in numerous other types of crimes as well. This tool has been so effective I feel embarrassed looking back at the effort we made for victims prior to having it. IJF CEO Heather Steele was super efficient and a real pleasure to work with. She had great communication skills every step of the way and obviously is very passionate about what she does. She frequently signed off her emails with the Winston Churchill quote "Give us the tools and we will finish the job", which I now have posted in my office as a reminder of the difference we can now make.

Our law enforcement agency was in desperate need of funding to buy equipment for high technology crime investigations. Budget cuts and the bad economy left our team without much financial support. I worked personally with the president of this foundation. She was eager and willing to help. She soon demonstrated their foundation's ability by locating funding to purchase hardware for examining mobile phones. The donated this equipment to our agency. Within a week, the hardware was used to help with a case during which sexual predator was trying to sexually exploit a child. The hardware has subsequently been used to process evidence related to violent crimes, frauds, and other child exploitation cases. I would strongly recommend this foundation to anyone in need of excellent service that surpassed my expectations. Thank you Innocent Justic Foundation!

The exploitation of children is a crime that is all to often ignored; not because it is unimportant but because it is a crime so painful to face that most people keep their distance from it. The Innocent Justice Foundation fights crimes against children by bringing awareness to the public and they also fight for our law enforcement agents who are exposed to these crimes. Innocent Justice recognizes that the heroes who deal with the torture and exploitation of children suffer from pain themselves and Innocent Justice works hard not only to ensure these heroes don't go unnoticed, but also get the personal help and assistance they need. No child should suffer and, if Innocent Justice has anything to do about it, no child will.