Describing the process and quantifying the outcomes of the Cuyahoga County sexual assault kit initiative

Lovell, Rachel; Luminais, Misty; Flannery, Daniel J.; Bell, R.; Kyker, Brett

doi:10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2018.05.012

Cited by 33 publications

(68 citation statements)

References 21 publications

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“…While these two quantities are not inconsistent with our findings, the CODIS yield in ref. 10, which used the three most probative samples per SAK, was 0.460 and was 2,934 4,966 = 0.591 in Cuyahoga County, OH under full testing (23), which are higher than the yields derived here. Moving forward, it is important to understand the factors (other than the number of samples tested) affecting the variation in CODIS yield.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 57%

A cost-effectiveness analysis of the number of samples to collect and test from a sexual assault

Wang

MacMillan

Powell

et al. 2020

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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Although the backlog of untested sexual assault kits in the United States is starting to be addressed, many municipalities are opting for selective testing of samples within a kit, where only the most probative samples are tested. We use data from the San Francisco Police Department Criminalistics Laboratory, which tests all samples but also collects information on the samples flagged by sexual assault forensic examiners as most probative, to build a standard machine learning model that predicts (based on covariates gleaned from sexual assault kit questionnaires) which samples are most probative. This model is embedded within an optimization framework that selects which samples to test from each kit to maximize the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) yield (i.e., the number of kits that generate at least one DNA profile for the criminal DNA database) subject to a budget constraint. Our analysis predicts that, relative to a policy that tests only the samples deemed probative by the sexual assault forensic examiners, the proposed policy increases the CODIS yield by 45.4% without increasing the cost. Full testing of all samples has a slightly lower cost-effectiveness than the selective policy based on forensic examiners, but more than doubles the yield. In over half of the sexual assaults, a sample was not collected during the forensic medical exam from the body location deemed most probative by the machine learning model. Our results suggest that electronic forensic records coupled with machine learning and optimization models could enhance the effectiveness of criminal investigations of sexual assaults.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 57%

A cost-effectiveness analysis of the number of samples to collect and test from a sexual assault

Wang

MacMillan

Powell

et al. 2020

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

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“…Even if a sexual assault is reported, it is unlikely to lead to an offender being prosecuted (Lonsway & Archambault, 2012). The majority of reported sexual assaults never proceed beyond the investigative phase (Bouffard, 2000; Campbell, 2008), which has allowed offenders to remain free to reoffend (Lovell et al, 2017; Lovell, Luminais, et al, 2018). Thus, the criminal justice system’s inadequate response to sexual assault is a contributing factor in serial sexual perpetration (Human Rights Watch, 2013; Lovell et al, 2017).…”

Section: Serial Criminality Of Sexual Offendersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Offending Histories and Typologies of Suspected Sexual Offenders Identified Via Untested Sexual Assault Kits

Lovell

Huang

Overman

et al. 2020

Criminal Justice and Behavior

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In this study, we present findings that detail the criminal offending histories and typologies of suspected sexual offenders identified from an initiative to follow up on the testing of thousands of previously untested sexual assault kits (SAKs). This study advances our understanding of sexual offenders by incorporating data from criminal justice system records (“detected” criminal offending) with data from newly tested SAKs that were not previously adjudicated (“undetected” sexual offending). Our findings demonstrate that these offenders have extensive criminal histories, very frequently continued to offend after the SAK-associated sexual assault, and, more often than not, have criminal histories that do not include a prior arrest(s) for rape. A latent class analysis identified three classes of offenders based on their offending history, “High-Volume Generalists,” “Low-Volume Offenders,” and “Sexual Specialists.” Most were generalists, with a large proportion committing lots of serious crimes.

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“…This attention has had wide-ranging consequences, including the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) 2 and various state laws that have mandated universal testing of SAKs. Advocates for these programs argued that more thorough testing of SAKs would populate the national offender DNA database (i.e., CODIS), help bring previously unidentified sexual offenders to justice, exonerate innocent suspects, and aid in the identification of serial sexual offenders (Campbell et al, 2017; Lovell et al, 2018). Indeed, in its first 3 years of operation SAKI has resulted in the upload of more than 15,000 profiles to CODIS and more than 900 charges being filed (SAKI, 2019).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification, Corroboration, and Charging: Examining the Use of DNA Evidence by Prosecutors in Sexual Assault Cases

Henry

Jurek

2020

Feminist Criminology

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This study examines the influence of DNA evidence on prosecutorial decisions in sexual assault cases. Thirty-eight prosecutors experienced with prosecuting sexual violence cases were surveyed regarding the use of biological evidence in sexual assault cases, including the ways in which it is generally used, the cases in which it is most critical to have, and factors impacting case attrition. Results indicate that prosecutors perceive DNA evidence to be extremely valuable in prosecuting sexual assault cases. Several themes related to the perspective, context, process, and conditions under which DNA evidence plays a vital role in sexual assault case processing are identified.

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Describing the process and quantifying the outcomes of the Cuyahoga County sexual assault kit initiative

Cited by 33 publications

References 21 publications

A cost-effectiveness analysis of the number of samples to collect and test from a sexual assault

A cost-effectiveness analysis of the number of samples to collect and test from a sexual assault

Offending Histories and Typologies of Suspected Sexual Offenders Identified Via Untested Sexual Assault Kits

Identification, Corroboration, and Charging: Examining the Use of DNA Evidence by Prosecutors in Sexual Assault Cases

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