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                            Funding & Awards
 Action Research to Enhance Investigations and Prosecutions of Sexual Assaults in Houston
Note:
              This awardee has received supplemental funding. This award detail page includes information about both the original award and supplemental awards.
Award Information
Awardee
              City of Houston
Award #
              2011-DN-BX-0002
Funding Category
              Continuation
Location
                    Houston, TX
Congressional District
              18
Status
              Closed
Funding First Awarded
              2011
Total funding (to date)
              $1,514,890
Original Solicitation
              NIJ FY 11 Strategic Approaches to Sexual Assault Kit (SAK) Evidence: An Action Research Project
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2011, $178,076)
The grantee will conduct Phase I of a two phase Action Research Project examining the problem of untested Sexual Assault Kits (SAK) in the Houston Police Department (HPD) property room.  The Houston Police Department is currently storing approximately 16,000 sexual assault kits in the property room.  It has not been determined whether these SAKs should be tested based on investigative characteristics of the case.  Action research will be conducted to help identify 1) factors inhibiting the number of sexual assault kits forwarded to the Houston Police Department Crime Lab for analysis and 2) factors that undermine the effective use of forensic evidence in sexual assault cases.  A Task Force comprised of the following members will examine this issue:  HPD's Special Crimes, Homicide, and Crime Laboratory Divisions, the Harris County District Attorney's Office, the Houston  Area Women's Center, Sam Houston State University, and the University of Texas at Austin.
ca/ncf
Supplemental Award 1 (Fiscal Year 2011, $821,814)
The Phase 2 project proposes to continue studying the nature of unsubmitted rape kits, understanding the role that rape kit evidence plays in the investigation and prosecution of sexual assaults, and documenting the results of testing rape kits that have not previously been screened and tested.  The main purposes of Phase 2 are to implement strategies derived from the Phase 1 research and to evaluate the results of those strategies.  The Phase 2 project will accomplish 3 goals:
1. Complete the research work started in Phase 1, which will be used to identify a feasible plan to screen, test, and utilize evidence contained in rape kits that have not been submitted for forensic testing.
2. Implement the strategies identified under Goal #1.
3. Evaluate the implementation and outcomes of the strategies.
The selection and implementation of feasible responses will occur in the second phase of the project in Houston.  During Phase 1 the project advisory board has been discussing possible strategies based on the knowledge that is accumulating through project meetings and data collection. This process will be finalized during Phase 2.  Project Phase 2 will entail the selection of response strategies 1) that will ensure a backlog of unsubmitted rape kits that are suitable for testing will not accumulate in the future; 2) for screening and testing the existing set of rape kits that have not previously been submitted for testing; 3) for determining whether and how rape kit test results can be used to advance active investigations or open inactive sexual cases for investigation and prosecution; and 4) that are victim-centered. Finally, the proposed Phase 2 project will assess the implementation and results of responses strategies. In achieving this goal the project will generate practical knowledge about strengths and weaknesses of the strategies. This knowledge will not only aid agencies in Houston as they refine their procedures, it will also have the ability to inform sites around the country as they wrestle with overcoming challenges in their jurisdictions.
nca/ncf
    Supplemental Award 2 (Fiscal Year 2012, $515,000)
The Houston Sexual Assault Action Research Project has completed Phase I tasks and is currently implementing Phase II of the project.  The supplement will enhance and extend Phase II activities in then following areas:
o Enhance cost-benefit analysis of testing the SAKs
o Implement and evaluate investigation and prosecution activities related to Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) hits stemming from the project
o Implement and evaluate victim notification protocols and procedures
o Develop research-to-practice tools on conducting audits of untested SAKs and victim notification procedures
o Enhance evaluation and research activities, particularly in the areas of victim notification procedures and training for law enforcement officers and detectives working with sexual assault victims
o Enhance dissemination of findings, specifically to practitioner audiences for whom the findings will be most relevant and useful
o Travel to an on-site cluster meeting with NIJ and Wayne County team
The goals for Phase II in Houston are (1) to complete the research work started in Phase I, which will be used to identify a feasible plan to screen, test, and use evidence contained in SAKs that have not been submitted for forensic testing; (2) to implement the strategies finalized in Goal 1 above; and (3) to evaluate the implementation and outcomes of the strategies. For example, based on findings in the first part of the project, the team has determined that law enforcement may need additional training to assist their decision making in terms of sending SAKs forward to the laboratory for testing.  So the team is going to implement enhanced training for responding officers and investigators. nca/ncf


  
Grant-Funded Publications
        
                      What happens when sexual assault kits go untested? A focal concerns analysis of suspect identification and police pre-arrest decisions
                  "At Least They're Workin' on My Case?" Victim Notification in Sexual Assault "Cold" Cases
                  Criminal Investigative Effort in Sexual Assaults: Findings from a Sample of Cases with Unsubmitted Sexual Assault Kits
                  Identification, Corroboration, and Charging: Examining the Use of DNA Evidence by Prosecutors in Sexual Assault Cases
                  The Use of Forensic Evidence in Sexual Assault Investigations: Perceptions of Sex Crimes Investigators
                  Unsubmitted Sexual Assault Kits in Houston, TX: Case Characteristics, Forensic Testing Results, and the Investigation of CODIS Hits, Executive Summary
                  Unsubmitted Sexual Assault Kits in Houston, TX: Case Characteristics, Forensic Testing Results, and the Investigation of CODIS Hits, Final Report
                  How NIJ Is Building the Nation's Research Infrastructure
                                                                      NIJ Journal,
                  Testing Previously Unsubmitted Sexual Assault Kits: What Are the Investigative Results?
                  Untested Evidence in Sexual Assault Cases
                  The Road Ahead: Unanalyzed Evidence in Sexual Assault Cases

  
Date Created: March 21, 2011
    
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                  The sexual assault microbiome: Detecting contact when minimal male DNA is present.
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