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PEARL – A forensic clinic serving sexual assault survivors in central Mississippi has created a brand new proof assortment package that goals to assist survivors, regulation enforcement and prosecutors.
Bridge Forensic Clinic, which is operated by the Heart for Violence Prevention, consulted with forensic specialists, regulation enforcement and nurses to create a brand new proof package – generally known as a rape package – which hasn’t been up to date in over 15 years, in response to the clinic.
A sexual assault survivor can select to endure a forensic medical examination to gather proof, which can be utilized in a case and prosecution. A medical employee preserves proof similar to clothes and blood and pictures the individual’s physique for indicators of bruising or accidents.
“A lot of the therapeutic of victims comes from leads to the justice system,” mentioned Sandy Middleton, govt director for Heart for Violence Prevention.
Beth McCord, operations supervisor of the Bridge Forensic Clinic, led the method to replace the rape package.
The earlier package had 21 steps. The brand new one has 9. Some steps had been in a position to be eradicated or consolidated attributable to adjustments within the lab that processes proof from the kits and the way the clinic’s nurses work with survivors.
“We don’t wish to create any extra trauma or trigger any extra trauma to them by doing this examination,” she mentioned. “This examination is for (the survivor) in addition to the regulation enforcement. We’re making an attempt to assist them present these samples with hopes to get DNA again.”
McCord mentioned the purpose is for the kits to be manufactured by the top of the 12 months and out there for distribution in early 2023.
Bridge Forensic Clinic has three sexual assault nurse examiners together with McCord who acquire proof for rape kits. The Heart for Violence Prevention additionally has relationships with 5 native hospital emergency rooms, permitting SANE nurses to gather package proof there.
Final 12 months, the clinic’s SANE nurses served about 230 folks, which incorporates accumulating proof for rape kits, McCord mentioned.
Between 2019 and 2021, statewide there have been prosecutions for 20 rapes, 167 statutory rapes and 481 sexual assaults, in response to statistics offered by the middle.
Middleton mentioned these numbers present Mississippi doesn’t do a great job at prosecuting these sorts of instances and that there are seemingly extra survivors who selected to not search medical consideration or report back to the police.
In response to a continued rise in sexual assaults and an absence of prosecution of these crimes within the state, Bridge Forensic Clinic organized a package overview committee with the purpose of creating adjustments to the rape package.
Proof from a rape package can be utilized if a survivor chooses to report a sexual assault to police. Legislation enforcement will deliver the package to the state crime lab for evaluation. McCord mentioned the wait will be between six to 12 months for outcomes from a rape package.
Practically half of all states within the nation have a backlog in testing and processing rape kits, in response to Finish the Backlog.
That backlog exists for quite a few causes, together with an absence of insurance policies and protocols to check kits, an absence of coaching or gaps about sexual assault, an absence of assets and whether or not the perpatrator’s identification is thought and outdated or unclear lab insurance policies, in response to the group.
On Tuesday, McCord and Middleton mentioned it’s tough to know what number of untested rape kits there are in Mississippi as a result of there’s not a central place the place they’re saved. Kits are sometimes housed in proof storage of police departments and typically at hospitals.
“It’s arduous to know the place our backlogs are as a result of we don’t know the place our kits are,” Middleton mentioned.
In 2019, the Related Press reported there have been 600 untested kits in Jackson.
Missisisppi and Maine are the one states that haven’t had complete rape package reform, in response to a map by Finish the Backlog.
Up to now a number of years, state lawmakers have launched laws about testing rape kits, however these payments failed.
Middleton hopes to see laws that helps use of the brand new kits and methods for the middle to proceed to assist survivors within the upcoming legislative session.
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