title: The National Problem of Untested Sexual Assault Kits (SAKs): Scope, Causes, and Future Directions for Research, Policy, and Practice.
abstract: Victims of sexual assault are often advised to have a medical forensic exam and sexual assault kit (SAK; also termed a "rape kit") to preserve physical evidence (e.g., semen, blood, and/or saliva samples) to aid in the investigation and prosecution of the crime. Law enforcement are tasked with submitting the rape kit to a forensic laboratory for DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) analysis, which can be instrumental in identifying offenders in previously unsolved crimes, confirming identify in known-offender assaults, discovering serial rapists, and exonerating individuals wrongly accused. However, a growing number of media stories, investigative advocacy projects, and social science studies indicate that police are not routinely submitting SAKs for forensic testing, and instead rape kits are placed in evidence storage, sometimes for decades. This review article examines the growing national problem of untested rape kits by summarizing current research on the number of untested SAKs in the United States and exploring the underlying reasons why police do not submit this evidence for DNA testing. Recommendations for future research that can guide policy and practice are discussed.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, USA.
authors.forename: Hannah
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Feeney
authors.affiliation: 2 Harder+Company Community Research, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Giannina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Fehler-Cabral
authors.affiliation: 3 National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, DC, USA.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.affiliation: 4 School of Marriage and Family Sciences, Northcentral University, Scottsdale, AZ, USA.
authors.forename: Sheena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Horsford
mesh_terms: D019548:Crime Victims / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D005260:Female; D044707:Forensic Sciences / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D006801:Humans; D035846:Law Enforcement / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D016495:Police; D011902:Rape / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D013048:Specimen Handling / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014481:United States; D014626:Vaginal Smears / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: offenders; reporting/disclosure; sexual assault