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Serial rape cases
[edit]Sexual assaults offenders and rapists usually have criminal recidivist behavior and usually commit these kinds of crimes in a serial way. These crimes are committed in many contexts and places: sexual partner violence, non-partner sexual violence, in the same family, in the same or different regions of a city, in different cities and in different states.
Cost
[edit]The cost of rape kits is a barrier to use in many locations where the victim is billed for the process. Collecting a rape kit reportedly costs around $1000.[1] Oftentimes, reimbursement for the cost is contingent on the victim reporting the crime to police. In Japan, for example, a sexual assault victim must pay for the rape kit upfront, but police will reimburse medical fees if the victim reports the assault.[2] Until the enactment of the Violence Against Women Act, the victims of sexual assault in the United States faced similar obstacles.
Testing/Processing
[edit]Upon completion, it is sealed and handed over to the police who may forward it, in whole or in part, to the provincial forensic science laboratories for analysis. Eventually, the ndings may be made available for interpretive use in court (Du Mont et al., 1997)."
Evidence collection
[edit]"When rape victims are examined, large pieces of clean butcher paper are placed under them while they disrobe to reduce the chances of losing potentially valuable trace evidence that falls from their bodies and clothes. After the victims disrobe, their clothing is carefully examined for trace evidence. Each individual piece of clothing is packaged separately; moisture stains are dried out, and sheets of paper are inserted between folds of clothing for additional protection against cross-contamination. When bite marks and other injuries are found on the bodies of rape victims during their examinations, photographs are carefully taken of the wounds as soon after the attacks as possible. Additional photographs taken about forty-eight hours later often prove valuable in documenting emerging bruise marks. Photographic evidence is often presented to juries in rape trials to demonstrate the extent of physical injuries inflicted during assaults."[3]
The physical examination begins with the victim disrobing. In order to collect trace evidence that falls from the victims bodies or clothes, the victim stands on a piece of large butcher paper while disrobing.[3]
Influence on rape outcomes
[edit]the willingness of a victim to under go a sexual assault examination increases the perceived credibility of the victim and the likelihood of arrest and charging (Alderden, 2009; Bouffard, 2000; McGregor, DuMont, and Myhr, 2002). Bouffard's (2000) investigation of 326 rape cases finds that submitting to a rape kit examination increases the believability of the victim, the likelihood that the case would remain open, and the probability of an arrest. Alderden (2009) demonstrates that the presence of either victim injuries or witness reports increases the probability of an arrest. Additionally, the presence of an assailant's DNA taken from a rape kit, even without the identification of a suspect, contributes to case clearance as well as to its presentation to the prosecutor (Alderden, 2009).
- ^ Caplan-Bricker, Nora (December 22, 2015). "Rape Victims Are Still Being Charged for Rape Kits". Slate.com. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
- ^ Mclean, Iain; L'Heureux, Stephan (2007). "Sexual assault aftercare services in Japan and the UK". Japan Forum. 19 (2): 239–256. doi:10.1080/09555800701422852.
{{cite journal}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help) - ^ a b Baker, Thomas E.; Roberts, James C. (March 2015). Rape (forensics). Salem Press Encyclopedia.