Rape Kit Notification: Recommendations and Barriers to Reconnecting with Survivors

ABSTRACT

In the wake of the discovery of untested rape kits across the country, jurisdictions now face questions about how best to reengage with survivors in a sensitive and empowering way. The current study sought to provide guidance on this question through interviews and surveys about effective victim notification procedures. Using a combination of purposive and snowball sampling, the current study interviewed 76 criminal justice, advocacy, and public policy professionals and 19 rape survivors from across the country about their recommendations for rape kit notification. Inductive thematic analysis was used to derive a set of 51 unique recommendations about how and when notification should occur. These recommendations were then transformed into a survey that was sent back to participants for ratings of importance, feasibility, and acceptability. Results suggested that approaches such as involving advocates, responding in a sensitive and empathetic way, engaging in full and ongoing notification, and providing clear information and referrals to survivors were supported by professionals and survivors alike. Results also suggested that feasibility concerns played little role in determining the acceptability of different notification approaches, calling into question the common assertion that feasibility concerns prevent jurisdictions from utilizing survivor-centric and trauma-informed procedures. Implications of these findings for both researchers and practitioners seeking to address the problem of untested rape kits are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Sexual Assault
• rape kit
• victim notification

Acknowledgments

This research project was supported by a grant to Courtney Ahrens from the Joyful Heart Foundation. Writing of the manuscript was supported by a grant to Sherisa Dahlgren from Suzanne Brogger, founder of the Bystander Project. For a copy of the full technical report from this project, see http://web.csulb.edu/~cahrens/JHF_Technical_Report_FINAL.pdf or for a copy of a shorter policy-oriented report, see http://www.endthebacklog.org/information-survivors/victim-notification.