Skip to main content skip navigation
  • Account
    • Login
    • Manage
  • Subscribe
    • JUSTINFO
    • Register
  • Shopping Cart
  • Contact Us
    • Email
    • Feedback
    • Chat
    • Phone or Mail
  • Site Help
National Criminal Justice Reference Service
Office of Justice Programs header with links to bureaus/offices: BJA, BJS, NIJ, OJJDP, OVC, SMART Office of Justice Programs BJA BJS NIJ OJJDP OVC SMART Office of Justice Programs
Advanced Search  Search Help
    Browse By Topics  down arrow
  • A–Z Topics
  • Corrections
  • Courts
  • Crime
  • Crime Prevention
  • Drugs
  • Justice System
  • Juvenile Justice
  • Law Enforcement
  • Victims
CrimeSolutions
Add your conference to our Justice Events calendar
  • ABOUT NCJRS
  • OJP PUBLICATIONS
  • LIBRARY
  • SEARCH Q & A
  • GRANTS & FUNDING
  • JUSTICE EVENTS
Home / Publications / NCJRS Abstract

PUBLICATIONS

Register for Latest Research

Stay Informed
Register with NCJRS to receive NCJRS's biweekly e-newsletter JUSTINFO and additional periodic emails from NCJRS and the NCJRS federal sponsors that highlight the latest research published or sponsored by the Office of Justice Programs.

NCJRS Abstract

The document referenced below is part of the NCJRS Virtual Library collection. To conduct further searches of the collection, visit the Virtual Library. See the Obtain Documents page for direction on how to access resources online, via mail, through interlibrary loans, or in a local library.

1 record(s) found

 

NCJ Number: 251588 Find in a Library
Title: Untested Evidence in Sexual Assault Cases
Document: HTML
Date Published: March 2016
Annotation: After reviewing the widespread problem among U.S. law enforcement agencies of backlogs of sexual assault kits (SAKs) that have not been submitted to crime laboratories for testing, this paper reviews the methodology and findings of action-research projects in Detroit, MI, and Houston, TX, intended to find solutions to this problem.
Abstract: An overview of this problem focuses on reasons for the prevalence of SAK backlogs. In 2011, NIJ awarded action-research grants to the Houston Police Department and the Detroit Prosecutor’s Office. Both sites formed multidisciplinary teams to examine the SAK backlogs and then develop effective, sustainable responses for addressing the problem. One of the most important findings from both jurisdictions is the value of forming multidisciplinary teams to address the issue. This paper also reports on a NIJ-funded study in Los Angeles, which examined the role of DNA testing of SAKs in the backlog. This study assessed the efficacy of DNA testing and determined the criminal justice outcomes from testing SAKs in the backlog (arrest, charge, convictions) within the first 6 months after the kits were tested for DNA. The study unexpectedly found that in the first 6 months after testing 371 SAKs, no new arrests were made; new charges were filed in only one case, and there were two convictions. Further, it is probable that the DNA testing was not responsible for the single filing or the two convictions. A similar study in New Orleans is also summarized. This paper provides online access to reports on these projects.
Main Term(s): Police policies and procedures
Index Term(s): California; DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid); DNA Typing; Michigan; NIJ grant-related documents; NIJ Resources; Rape evidence kits; Rape investigations; Sex offense investigations; Texas
Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ)
Washington, DC 20531
Corporate Author: National Institute of Justice (NIJ)
US Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
United States of America
Sale Source: National Institute of Justice (NIJ)
US Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
810 Seventh Street NW
Washington, DC 20531
United States of America
Page Count: 6
Format: Article; Web Page/Site
Type: Program/Project Description; Report (Study/Research); Report (Summary); Report (Technical Assistance)
Language: English
Country: United States of America
To cite this abstract, use the following link:
http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/publications/abstract.aspx?ID=273781

*A link to the full-text document is provided whenever possible. For documents not available online, a link to the publisher's website is provided. Tell us how you use the NCJRS Library and Abstracts Database - send us your feedback.




Find in a Library

You have clicked Find in a Library. A title search of WorldCat, the world's largest library network, will start when you click "Continue." Here you will be able to learn if libraries in your community have the document you need. The results will open in a new browser and your NCJRS session will remain active for 30 minutes. Learn More.

You have selected:

This article appears in

In WorldCat, verify that the library you select has the specific journal volume and issue in which the article appears. Learn How.

Continue to WorldCat

You are about to access WorldCat, NCJRS takes no responsibility for and exercises no control over the WorldCat site.

 
Office of Justice Programs Facebook Page  Twitter Page
  • Bureau of Justice Assistance Facebook Page Twitter Page
  • Bureau of Justice Statistics Twitter Page
  • National Institute of Justice Facebook Page Twitter Page
  • Office for Victims of Crime Facebook Page Twitter Page
  • Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Facebook Page Twitter Page
  • Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking Facebook Page Twitter Page
Contact Us | Feedback | Site Map
Freedom of Information Act | Privacy Statement | Legal Policies and Disclaimers
USA.gov | CrimeSolutions
Department of Justice | Office of Justice Programs