Despite the widespread use of sexual assault medical forensic exams (SAMFEs), practitioners and researchers continue to debate the role of SAMFEs and the evidence they provide in the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault cases. Using data from a review of sexual assault cases reported to police between 2015 and 2017 in two jurisdictions (n = 534), we use logistic regression examine whether the presence of a SAMFE predicts the likelihood of achieving criminal case processing outcomes and whether the relationship of the SAMFE with criminal case processing outcomes is moderated by other legal and extralegal case characteristics. We did not find evidence that the presence of a SAMFE in a case significantly predicts whether a suspect will be identified, arrested, or convicted overall, but we did find evidence of the SAMFE’s injury documentation value for arrest. Researchers and practitioners should account for the multiple ways SAMFEs can influence decision-making in future research and policymaking.
AlderdenM. A., & UllmanS. E. (2012). Creating a more complete and current picture: Examining police and prosecutor decision-making when processing sexual assault cases. Violence Against Women, 18, 525–551.
BeichnerD., & SpohnC. (2005). Prosecutorial charging decisions in sexual assault cases: Examining the impact of a specialized prosecution unit. Criminal Justice Policy Review, 16, 461–498.
4.
BouffardJ. A. (2000). Predicting type of sexual assault case closure from victim, suspect, and case characteristics. Journal of Criminal Justice, 28(6), 527–542.
5.
CampbellR., BybeeD., KelleyK. D., DworkinE. R., & PattersonD. (2012). The impact of sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) program services on law enforcement investigational practices: A mediational analysis. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 39(2), 169–184.
6.
CampbellR., BybeeD., TownsendS. M., ShawJ., KarimN., & MarkowitzJ. (2014). The impact of sexual assault nurse examiner programs on criminal justice case outcomes: A multisite replication study. Violence Against Women, 20(5), 607–625.
7.
CampbellR., FeeneyH., Fehler-CabralG., ShawJ., & HorsfordS. (2015). The national problem of untested sexual assault kits (SAKs): Scope, causes, and future directions for research, policy, and practice. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 18(4), 363–376.
8.
CampbellR., GreesonM. R., BybeeD., & Fehler-CabralG. (2012). Adolescent sexual assault victims and the legal system: Building community relationships to improve prosecution rates. American Journal of Community Psychology, 50(1–2), 141–154.
9.
CampbellB. A., MenakerT. A., & KingW. R. (2015). The determination of victim credibility by adult and juvenile sexual assault investigators. Journal of Criminal Justice, 43(1), 29–39.
10.
CampbellR., PattersonD., & BybeeD. (2012). Prosecution of adult sexual assault cases: A longitudinal analysis of the impact of a sexual assault nurse examiner program. Violence Against Women, 18(2), 223–244.
11.
CampbellR., PattersonD., BybeeD., & DworkinE. R. (2009). Predicting sexual assault prosecution outcomes: The role of medical forensic evidence collected by sexual assault nurse examiners. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 36(7), 712–727.
12.
CampbellR., PattersonD., & Fehler-CabralG. (2010). Using ecological theory to evaluate the effectiveness of an indigenous community intervention: A study of sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) programs. American Journal of Community Psychology, 46(3–4), 263–276.
CrossT. P., AlderdenM., WagnerA., SampsonL., PetersB., SpencerM., & LounsburyK. (2014). Forensic evidence and criminal justice outcomes in a statewide sample of sexual assault cases. Report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/248254.pdf
15.
DinosS., BurrowesN., HammondK., & CunliffeC. (2015). A systematic review of juries’ assessment of rape victims: Do rape myths impact on juror decision-making?International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 43(1), 36–49.
16.
GoodmanS. N., & BerlinJ. A. (1994). The use of predicted confidence intervals when planning experiments and the misuse of power when interpreting results. Annals of Internal Medicine, 121(3), 200–206.
17.
Gray-EuromK., SeabergD. C., & WearsR. L. (2002). The prosecution of sexual assault cases: Correlation with forensic evidence. Annals of Emergency Medicine, 39(1), 39–46.
18.
HoenigJ. M., & HeiseyD. M. (2001). The abuse of power: The pervasive fallacy of power calculations for data analysis. The American Statistician, 55(1), 19–24.
19.
JohnsonD., PetersonJ., SommersI., & BaskinD. (2012). Use of forensic science in investigating crimes of sexual violence: Contrasting its theoretical potential with empirical realities. Violence Against Women, 18(2), 193–222.
20.
KellyL., LovettJ., & ReganL. (2005). A gap or a chasm? Attrition in reported rape cases(Home Office Research Study 293). Home Office.
21.
KerstetterW. A. (1990). Gateway to justice: Police and prosecutorial response to sexual assaults against women. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 81, 267–313.
22.
LedrayL. E., & SimmelinkK. (1997). Efficacy of SANE evidence collection: A Minnesota study. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 23(1), 75–77.
23.
McGregorM. J., Du MontJ., & MyhrT. L. (2002). Sexual assault forensic medical examination: Is evidence related to successful prosecution?Annals of Emergency Medicine, 39(6), 639–647.
24.
Office on Violence Against Women. (2013). A national protocol for sexual assault medical forensic examinations: Adults/adolescents second edition(No. 228119). Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice.
25.
PattersonD., CampbellR., & TownsendS. M. (2006). Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program goals and patient care practices. Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 38(2), 180–186.
26.
PetersonJ., JohnsonD., HerzD., GrazianoL., & OehlerT. (2012). Sexual assault kit backlog study(No. 238500). Report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/238500.pdf
27.
PetersonJ., MihajlovicS., & GillilandM. (1984). Forensic evidence and the police: The effects of scientific evidence on criminal investigations. U.S. Government Printing Office.
28.
PlantyM., LangtonL., KrebsC., BerzofskyM., & Smiley-McDonaldH. (2013). Female victims of sexual violence, 1994–2010. US Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics.
29.
SchroederD. A., & Elink-Schuurman-LauraK. (2017). The impact of forensic evidence on arrest and prosecution(No. 250721). Report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/250721.pdf
30.
SchullerR. A., & StewartA. (2000). Police responses to sexual assault complaints: The role of perpetrator/complainant intoxication. Law and Human Behavior, 24(5), 535–551.
31.
SieversV., MurphyS., & MillerJ. J. (2003). Sexual assault evidence collection more accurate when completed by sexual assault nurse examiners: Colorado’s experience. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 29(6), 511–514.
32.
SpohnC. (2016). Untested sexual assault kits: A national dilemma. Criminology & Public Policy, 15(2), 551–554.
33.
SpohnC., BeichnerD., & Davis-FrenzelE. (2001). Prosecutorial explanations for sexual assault case rejection: Guarding the gateway to justice. Social Problems, 48(2), 206–235.
34.
SpohnC., & HolleranD. (2001). Prosecuting sexual assault: Comparison charging decisions in sexual assault cases involving strangers, acquaintances, and intimate partners. Justice Quarterly, 18(3), 651–688.
35.
SpohnC., & TellisK. (2012). Policing and prosecuting sexual assault in Los Angeles City and County: A collaborative study in partnership with the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, and the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office(No. 237582). Report submitted to the U.S. Department of Justice. https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/237582.pdf
36.
SpohnC., WhiteC., & TellisK. (2014). Unfounding sexual assault: Examining the decision to unfound and identifying false reports. Law & Society Review, 48(1), 161–192.
37.
TascaM., RodriguezN., SpohnC., & KossM. (2013). Police decision making in sexual assault cases: Predictors of suspect identification and arrest. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 28(6), 1157–1177.
YuL., WalshK., & ZweigJ.(Under review). A qualitative analysis of law enforcement’s and prosecutors’ views on the utility of the sexual assault medical forensic exams.
