"This Time It Was Different:" Creating a Multidisciplinary, Trauma-Informed, Victim-Centered Approach to Sexual Assault Cold Case Investigations and Prosecutions.

IF 2.6 3区 心理学 Q1 CRIMINOLOGY & PENOLOGY
Rebecca Campbell,Katie Gregory,Jasmine Engleton,McKenzie Javorka,Rachael Goodman-Williams
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Police and prosecutors recommend that sexual assault survivors have a medical forensic exam and the collection of a sexual assault kit (SAK; also known as a "rape kit") to preserve biological evidence (e.g., semen, blood, saliva, hair) if they want to pursue criminal prosecution. However, law enforcement personnel do not routinely submit SAKs to crime laboratories for forensic DNA testing. Instead, they often place untested kits in storage and close many of these reported cases after minimal investigation. Current estimates indicate there are 300,000 to 400,000 untested SAKs in law enforcement agencies throughout the United States. In response to this national problem, the U.S. Department of Justice created the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) Project to support kit testing, re-investigation, and prosecution of these "cold case" sexual assaults. The SAKI program also provides training and technical assistance to police, prosecutors, and victim advocates on how to use a multidisciplinary, trauma-informed, and victim-centered approach in cold case prosecutions. This study examined the extent to which one SAKI-funded site implemented these three guiding principles in their interactions with victims while prosecuting cold case sexual assaults. We conducted semistructured qualitative interviews with N = 32 sexual assault survivors from the first cohort of cold cases that were re-opened and prosecuted in this jurisdiction. Nearly all cases (n = 31) ended in a guilty plea or trial conviction, and the vast majority of survivors indicated that they had positive experiences with the SAKI team. Survivors noted that they were listened to, believed, supported, and well-prepared by a multidisciplinary team of practitioners who were personally invested in their cases and in their well-being. Implications for creating multidisciplinary, trauma-informed, and victim-centered approaches with other communities are discussed.
"这次不一样:"在性侵犯冷案调查和起诉中采用多学科、以创伤为基础、以受害者为中心的方法。
警方和检察官建议性侵犯幸存者接受法医检查并收集性侵犯工具包(SAK;也称为 "强奸工具包"),以保存生物证据(如精液、血液、唾液、毛发),如果他们想提起刑事诉讼的话。然而,执法人员并不经常将 SAK 提交给犯罪实验室进行法医 DNA 检测。相反,他们通常会将未经检测的试剂盒存放起来,并在进行最低限度的调查后将许多此类报案结案。据目前估计,全美执法机构中共有 30 万到 40 万个未经检测的 SAK。针对这一全国性问题,美国司法部创建了性侵犯工具包倡议(SAKI)项目,以支持对这些 "冷案 "性侵犯进行工具包检测、重新调查和起诉。SAKI 项目还为警方、检察官和受害者权益维护者提供培训和技术援助,帮助他们在冷案起诉中使用多学科、创伤知情和以受害者为中心的方法。本研究考察了一个由 SAKI 项目资助的机构在起诉冷案性侵犯案件时,在与受害者互动的过程中在多大程度上贯彻了这三项指导原则。我们对 N = 32 名性侵犯幸存者进行了半结构化定性访谈,这些幸存者来自该司法管辖区重新审理和起诉的第一批冷案。几乎所有案件(n = 31)都以认罪或审判定罪告终,绝大多数幸存者表示,他们与 SAKI 团队有过积极的合作经历。幸存者指出,由多学科从业人员组成的团队倾听了他们的心声,相信他们,支持他们,并为他们做好了充分准备。本文讨论了在其他社区建立多学科、创伤知情和以受害者为中心的方法的意义。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
6.20
自引率
12.00%
发文量
375
期刊介绍: The Journal of Interpersonal Violence is devoted to the study and treatment of victims and perpetrators of interpersonal violence. It provides a forum of discussion of the concerns and activities of professionals and researchers working in domestic violence, child sexual abuse, rape and sexual assault, physical child abuse, and violent crime. With its dual focus on victims and victimizers, the journal will publish material that addresses the causes, effects, treatment, and prevention of all types of violence. JIV only publishes reports on individual studies in which the scientific method is applied to the study of some aspect of interpersonal violence. Research may use qualitative or quantitative methods. JIV does not publish reviews of research, individual case studies, or the conceptual analysis of some aspect of interpersonal violence. Outcome data for program or intervention evaluations must include a comparison or control group.
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