Sexual Assault Kits and Reforming the Response to Rape

Sexual Assault Kits and Reforming the Response to Rape 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.
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.
Sexual Assault Kits and Reforming the Response to Rape 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.

Rachel E. Lovell (PhD, Sociology, The Ohio State University) is an Assistant Professor of Criminology and Director of the Criminology Research Center at Cleveland State University in Cleveland, Ohio. She is an applied criminologist and methodologist whose research focuses on gender-based violence and victimization, particularly sexual assault, human trafficking, and intimate partner violence. Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling (PhD, Clinical-Community Psychology, University of Oregon) is a Professor in the Department of Psychological Science at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. She is core faculty in the Clinical Health concentration of the Health Psychology PhD program and a licensed clinical psychologist in North Carolina.

Introduction Section 1: How did we get here?: Revisiting the past Chapter 1: "On the Shelves, Covered in Dust": The History of Untested Sexual Assault Kits in the United States Rebecca Campbell and Hannah Feeney Chapter 2: Where's My Kit?: An Overview of Attrition in Sexual Assault Cases Kathryn A. McGill, Kimberly Pusey and Sarah Koon-Magnin Chapter 3: Understanding Sexual Assault Disclosure: Victim Decision-Making Processes Underlying the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling, Bridget Jules, Emma C. Lathan, C. Austin Coates and Rachel Crisler Chapter 4: Sexual Assault of Women of Color: Establishing an Equitable and Culturally Specific Response Teresa Stafford Chapter 5: A Survivor's Perspective: My Sexual Assault Kit was Part of the Backlog Natasha Simone Alexenko Section 2: Where are we now?: Present Reform Efforts Chapter 6: SAKI Training and Technical Assistance: Partnering with SAKI Sites for Success Patricia A. Melton and Amanda R. Young Chapter 7: Advancing Our Understanding of Sexual Assault Offenders Rachel E. Lovell, Angela Williamson, Timothy Keel, Thomas Dover and Mary Weston Chapter 8: Current Issues in Understanding Sexual Victimization Veronique N. Valliere Chapter 9: Current Victim Notification Procedures: Victim and Process Impacts Across Two SAKI Sites Heather C. Melton, Emma C. Lathan and Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling Chapter 10: Transforming Police Response to Sexual Assault from the Inside Out: A Case Study of the Mobile, Alabama Sexual Assault Kit Promise Initiative Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling, Emma C. Lathan, Tres Stefurak and Jessica Duncan Chapter 11: Prosecutorial Response to Sexual Violence Jennifer Long, Patricia Powers, Holly Fuhrman and Jennifer Newman Chapter 12: Current Trends in Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Exams and Examiners Julie L. Valentine and Nancy Downing Chapter 13: Current Trends with Anonymous Reporting: Lessons Learned from Duluth, Minnesota Mary Faulkner Chapter 14: Current Issues with Providing Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Exams in Rural Areas Bridget Diamond-Welch, Mattie Jones and Briana Zimmer Chapter 15: Caring for Sexual Assault Victim-Survivors on College Campuses Candice N. Selwyn, Carolyn Dolan, Sarah Koon-Magnin, Tres Stefurak and Allison Rudd Chapter 16: Behind the Scenes of the Forensic Lab: Forensic Decision Making for Sexual Assault Kit Testing Charlotte Lopez-Jauffret Chapter 17: Current Understanding of the Cost-Effectiveness of Testing Sexual Assault Kits Paul Speaker Chapter 18: Eliminating the Rape Kit Backlog: Federal and State Legislative Responses Ilse Knecht, Mateo Cello and Burcu Sagiroglu Section 3: Where do we want to be?: Envisioning a future reformed response Chapter 19: Advancements in Trauma-Informed Training and Interviewing for Law Enforcement and Prosecutors Bradley A. Campbell Chapter 20: The Notification for Victims of Assault (NoVA): Innovating Future Practice through a Change Process Caitlin Sulley, Margaret Bassett, Yulanda McCarty-Harris, Melanie Susswein and Noël Busch-Armendariz Chapter 21: Envisioning an Effective Multidisciplinary Sexual Assault Response: The Importance of Standards, Partnerships, and Measurable Outcomes Kevin J. Strom, Jim Markey, Hannah Feeney and Tom Scott Chapter 22: Washington State's External Case Review Program: Examining the Law Enforcement and Prosecutorial Response to Sexual Assault Cases Antionette Bonsignore 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 Deborah M. Clubb Chapter 24: Envisioning a Better Victim Response: Survivor-Centered Advocacy, Destigmatization, Collaboration, and Accountability Margaret J. McGuire, Danielle B. Sabo and Joanna Klingenstein Chapter 25 : Making Progress: Putting the Past, Present, and Future Together to Promote Needed Reform Jennifer Langhinrichsen-Rohling, Rachel Lovell and Bridget Jules