2026 BWJP Rising Stars – Meghan Dunlap
“When it comes to gender-based violence, you just never know what’s going on behind closed doors, so you have to…
2026 BWJP Rising Stars – Patrick Cunningham
“It’s important to treat people with kindness and empathy. Just because somebody has a charge doesn’t mean they’re a monster. That distinction is important.”
-Patrick Cunningham, Defense Based Advocate, National Defense Center for Criminalized Survivors
This month we are featuring some of the Rising Stars of BWJP who are rising through the ranks and actively impacting our movement.
Meet Patrick Cunningham, an honorably discharged US Army combat veteran, who has worn a variety of hats in his transition into civilian life ranging from customer service to technical assistance.
Through his personal journey to find a new purpose post-service, he found fulfillment in serving others, first as an advocate for adults living with disabilities, and now as a defense-based advocate, providing trauma-informed advocacy to criminalized survivors of domestic and gender-based violence.
As an advocate, Patrick is gregarious, kind, and forthright. His unique ability to put people at ease and be transparent about his own journey makes him very effective as both an advocate and leader. “A lot of my trauma is wrapped up in the fact that I participated in what was ultimately the subjugation of the civilian population, and because of that, working for BWJP has been part of that healing journey for me, to get my karma right.”
Patrick is the first point of contact at BWJP for criminalized survivors—people who were arrested, often for the first time, as a direct result of their victimization. Many of these survivors were charged with assault or homicide for using defensive force against their abusers. Others were coerced into criminal activity by their abusers. All of them face traumatic impacts of the criminal legal system while navigating the trauma from the abuse at the same time.
He explained that being criminalized for resisting abuse is a double victimization. Even if a person isn’t incarcerated, having a conviction for assault can be devastating. “To me, it’s the most insidious form of abuse, because not only have you abused this person, but you have now cut off any chance they have of getting resources.”
Being a criminalized survivor is life-changing in very negative ways—from whether you are considered trustworthy around adults and children, being able to get shelter and other services, or ever finding self-sustaining employment again.
“Systems want to treat these survivors the same way that they treat every other charge, and there’s so much more to it than that. These are people who never asked to be in this position. Any person that is abused could become a criminalized survivor overnight. It’s very humbling,” he said.
Patrick is driven to give them trauma-informed care, support, and a listening ear because he knows the intense challenges criminalized survivors face.
BWJP has a landline set up to accept collect calls from incarcerated survivors who are seeking information about how to deal with their cases. Patrick takes these calls and connects them to one of BWJP’s National Defense Center for Criminalized Survivors team members who will provide technical assistance to their defense teams.
Patrick admits, “My job is kind of heavy.” Yet despite the challenges of supporting this population and the heartbreaking stories, Patrick says his work with the Defense Center is by far the best job he’s ever had. “I’m just honored to be here.” At BWJP we are honored to work with a professional like Patrick, someone who cares so deeply about justice and embodies our mission every day to people like criminalized survivors who can use a lifeline most.
