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Date: April 30, 2024 Tue

Time: 1:20 am

Results for dna sampling

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Author: Wells, William

Title: Unsubmitted Sexual Assault Kits in Houston, TX: Case Characteristics, Forensic Testing Results, and the Investigation of CODIS Hits, Final Report

Summary: In 2011, the National Institute of Justice funded the Houston Police Department to form a multidisciplinary team to study the problem of sexual assault kits (SAK) that were collected but never submitted to a crime lab for screening and testing. The Houston Action-Research Project sought to understand the factors that produced the volume of unsubmitted SAKs, the way forensic evidence is used during criminal investigations and prosecutions of sexual assaults, and what stakeholders should expect when large numbers of previously unsubmitted SAKs get tested. The project adopted a holistic approach and considered the broader issue of responses, beyond testing the kits, to sexual assaults in the community. Houston's Action-Research Project Working Group includes representatives from the following organizations: - Houston Forensic Science Center - Harris County District Attorney's Office - Harris Health System - Houston Area Women's Center - Houston Police Department Sex Crimes Investigative Units - Memorial Hermann Health System - Sam Houston State University - Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology - University of Texas at Austin - Institute on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault The group has been working collaboratively and collecting data that has allowed for an understanding of multiple aspects of the local response system. The organizations that have been working on this project have also been implementing and evaluating reforms that are meant to improve the response to sexual assaults. Action research entails an iterative process in which research evidence informs responses and for this reason the project has generated multiple research reports. This is one of a number of reports and presentations that will be released to help other jurisdictions learn from our experiences as they seek to better understand and improve their own practices.

Details: Final report submitted to the U.S. National Institute of Justice, 2016. 66p.

Source: Internet Resource: Accessed June 13, 2016 at: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/249812.pdf

Year: 2016

Country: United States

URL: https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/249812.pdf

Shelf Number: 139402

Keywords:
Criminal Evidence
Criminal Investigation
DNA Sampling
Police Policies and Procedures
Rape
Sexual Assault