Sexual Assault Kits and Reforming the Response to Rape

<p><em>Sexual Assault Kits and Reforming the Response to Rape </em>curates the current state of untested sexual assault kit research and highlights emerging best practices by exploring the past, the present, and the future of our collective response to rape.</p><p>This book is the first to address the most critical topics related to untested sexual assault kits and the Department of Justice’s Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, bringing together leading US scholars, practitioners, policy makers, and survivors. In a series of well-researched and thoughtful thematic chapters, the book explores the current state of knowledge related to untested kits, survivors, and perpetrators, while also documenting fundamental and necessary changes in how societal systems respond to rape. It provides an opportunity to learn from our past, highlight what we could do differently now, and envision a better future for victims of rape and those tasked with ensuring justice. It may also serve as a cautionary tale for those jurisdictions that have yet to face their backlog or who have failed to embrace the practice and policy changes that have emerged from the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative.</p><p><em>Sexual Assault Kits and Reforming the Response to Rape </em>is essential reading for practitioners (including law enforcement, prosecutors, victim advocates, mental health providers, forensic nurses, and forensic scientists), stakeholders, legislators, and policy makers. It will also be of interest to upper-level students and scholars working on interpersonal violence, gender-based violence, and forensic nursing in social/behavioral science fields.</p> <p>Introduction</p><p><b>Section 1: How did we get here?: Revisiting the past </b></p><p>Chapter 1: "On the Shelves, Covered in Dust": The History of Untested Sexual Assault Kits in the United States </p><p>Rebecca Campbell and Hannah Feeney </p><p>Chapter 2: Where’s My Kit?: An Overview of Attrition in Sexual Assault Cases</p><p>Kathryn A. McGill, Kimberly Pusey and Sarah Koon-Magnin </p><p>Chapter 3: Understanding Sexual Assault Disclosure: Victim Decision-Making Processes Underlying the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative</p><p>Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling, Bridget Jules, Emma C. Lathan, C. Austin Coates and Rachel Crisler</p><p>Chapter 4: Sexual Assault of Women of Color: Establishing an Equitable and Culturally Specific Response</p><p>Teresa Stafford</p><p>Chapter 5: A Survivor’s Perspective: My Sexual Assault Kit was Part of the Backlog</p><p>Natasha Simone Alexenko</p><p>Section 2: Where are we now?: Present Reform Efforts </p><p>Chapter 6: SAKI Training and Technical Assistance: Partnering with SAKI Sites for Success </p><p>Patricia A. Melton and Amanda R. Young </p><p>Chapter 7: Advancing Our Understanding of Sexual Assault Offenders</p><p>Rachel E. Lovell, Angela Williamson, Timothy Keel, Thomas Dover and Mary Weston </p><p>Chapter 8: Current Issues in Understanding Sexual Victimization </p><p>Veronique N. Valliere </p><p>Chapter 9: Current Victim Notification Procedures: Victim and Process Impacts Across Two SAKI Sites</p><p>Heather C. Melton, Emma C. Lathan and Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling </p><p>Chapter 10: Transforming Police Response to Sexual Assault from the Inside Out: A Case Study of the Mobile, Alabama Sexual Assault Kit Promise Initiative</p><p>Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling, Emma C. Lathan, Tres Stefurak and Jessica Duncan </p><p>Chapter 11: Prosecutorial Response to Sexual Violence </p><p>Jennifer Long, Patricia Powers, Holly Fuhrman and Jennifer Newman</p><p>Chapter 12: Current Trends in Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Exams and Examiners </p><p>Julie L. Valentine and Nancy Downing</p><p>Chapter 13: Current Trends with Anonymous Reporting: Lessons Learned from Duluth, Minnesota </p><p>Mary Faulkner </p><p>Chapter 14: Current Issues with Providing Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Exams in Rural Areas </p><p>Bridget Diamond-Welch, Mattie Jones and Briana Zimmer </p><p>Chapter 15: Caring for Sexual Assault Victim-Survivors on College Campuses </p><p>Candice N. Selwyn, Carolyn Dolan, Sarah Koon-Magnin, Tres Stefurak and Allison Rudd</p><p>Chapter 16: Behind the Scenes of the Forensic Lab: Forensic Decision Making for Sexual Assault Kit Testing</p><p>Charlotte Lopez-Jauffret </p><p>Chapter 17: Current Understanding of the Cost-Effectiveness of Testing Sexual Assault Kits</p><p>Paul Speaker </p><p>Chapter 18: Eliminating the Rape Kit Backlog: Federal and State Legislative Responses </p><p>Ilse Knecht, Mateo Cello and Burcu Sagiroglu</p><p>Section 3: Where do we want to be?: Envisioning a future reformed response</p><p>Chapter 19: Advancements in Trauma-Informed Training and Interviewing for Law Enforcement and Prosecutors</p><p>Bradley A. Campbell </p><p>Chapter 20: The Notification for Victims of Assault (NoVA): Innovating Future Practice through a Change Process </p><p>Caitlin Sulley, Margaret Bassett, Yulanda McCarty-Harris, Melanie Susswein and Noël Busch-Armendariz </p><p>Chapter 21: Envisioning an Effective Multidisciplinary Sexual Assault Response: The Importance of Standards, Partnerships, and Measurable Outcomes </p><p>Kevin J. Strom, Jim Markey, Hannah Feeney and Tom Scott </p><p>Chapter 22: Washington State’s External Case Review Program: Examining the Law Enforcement and Prosecutorial Response to Sexual Assault Cases </p><p>Antionette Bonsignore </p><p>Chapter 23: Memphis Works to Envision a Better Public Health Response to Sexual Assault: Community Engagement, Prevention, and Awareness Messaging to Change Attitudes and Behavior</p><p>Deborah M. Clubb </p><p>Chapter 24: Envisioning a Better Victim Response: Survivor-Centered Advocacy, Destigmatization, Collaboration, and Accountability </p><p>Margaret J. McGuire, Danielle B. Sabo and Joanna Klingenstein </p><p>Chapter 25 : Making Progress: Putting the Past, Present, and Future Together to Promote Needed Reform</p><p>Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling, Rachel Lovell and Bridget Jules </p>