U.S. flag
      An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.
        Here's how you know
      Here's how you know**Official websites use .gov**
            
            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
      **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
            
            A **lock** (
            A locked padlock
            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Menu

      
        close

            
            
                                              About NIJ
        
                    
  
          About NIJ
      
    
          The NIJ Director
          How NIJ Is Organized
          Mission and Guiding Principles
          Research and Development Process
          Strategic Framework
          Assessments of NIJ
          Annual Reports & Reports to Congress
          Staff Directory
          Funding & Awards
        
                    
  
          Funding & Awards
      
    
          Current Funding
          Forthcoming Funding
          Expired Funding
          Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
          Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
          Fellowship & Student Programs
          Travel Scholarships
          NIJ Challenge Program
          Library & Multimedia
        
                    
  
          Library & Multimedia
      
    
          NIJ Journal
          Podcasts
          Publications Listing
          Multimedia Listing
          Rated Practices on CrimeSolutions
          Rated Programs on CrimeSolutions
          Software & Databases
          Datasets
          Patents
          Topics
        
                    
  
          Topics
      
    
          Article Listing
          Corrections
          Courts
          Crime Prevention
          Crimes
          Drugs and Crime
          Equipment and Technology
          Forensic Sciences
          Youth Justice
          Justice System Reform
          Law Enforcement
          Tribal Crime and Justice
          Victims of Crime
          Events
        
                    
  
          Events
      
    
          NIJ 2024 Research Conference
          Scheduled Events
          On-Demand Events
          Research Meetings & Workshops
          NIJ-Hosted Online Training

                            
                                About
          Contact Us
          Subscribe
          Topics A-Z
                  Share
FacebookXLinkedInRedditPinterestEmail Home
                            Funding & Awards
 A New Approach to Utilizing Evidence from Sexual Assault Kits in Texas: Benefits and Costs of a Universal Testing Statute
Award Information
Awardee
              Police Foundation
Award #
              2016-IJ-CX-0019
Funding Category
              Competitive
Location
                    Arlington, DC
Congressional District
              8
Status
              Closed
Funding First Awarded
              2016
Total funding (to date)
              $235,794
Original Solicitation
              Research and Evaluation in Support of the Recommendations of the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2016, $235,794)
Sexual violence in the U.S. remains pervasive, harming individual victims and, collectively, society. These harms include higher rates of substance abuse for victims, lower levels of employment, lower levels of educational attainment, higher levels of depression, and higher suicide rates. Reducing sexual violence has become a national priority.
Sexual assault victims are routinely encouraged to get a sexual assault medical forensic examination to preserve evidence of the offense. Evidence is collected through use of sexual assault forensic evidence kits, commonly referred to as sexual assault kits (SAKs). There is good reason to believe that competently collected SAK evidence is associated with positive criminal justice system outcomes. However, despite increased collection of forensic evidence and a growing understanding of its importance, many SAKs across the country go untested.
In 2011, Texas enacted legislation mandating universal testing of SAKs  Texas Bill 1636. The Police Foundation is currently evaluating the impact of this bill, using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methodologies to examine trends in criminal justice indicators, state lab workloads and efficiency, the number of serial rapists identified, sexual assault case characteristics, and criminal justice system outcomes. An emerging finding is that SAK testing requirements can place significant resource strains on detectives, prosecutors, and victim advocates. Funding for this study expires January 31, 2017. While preliminary findings are informative, the laws full impact will not yet be fully realized; it is estimated that DNA testing of backlogged SAKs will just be coming to completion as funding ends, prohibiting an examination of the full impact of the testing on criminal justice indicators and outcomes.
The Police Foundation requests funding to continue the Texas study. Funding will support a longer-term examination of the Texas bill, looking at impacts after all results from DNA testing of backlogged SAKs are entered into the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) for suspect identification. NIJ funding will allow us to answer the following questions: 1) What percentage of SAK DNA findings result in the identification of serial rapists, and/or result in further police investigation, prosecution, and conviction? 2) What factors present cases with identified suspects from being successfully prosecuted? 3) What is the level of burden that the Texas law has placed on police, prosecutors, and laboratory staff? and 4) What are the costs per successful prosecution?  If funded, this would be by far the largest study to date of criminal justice outcomes stemming from CODIS hits. ca/ncf



  
Grant-Funded Publications
        
                      Investigative Outcomes of CODIS Matches in Previously Untested Sexual Assault Kits




  
Grant-Funded Datasets
        
                      https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR38096.v1

  
Date Created: September 15, 2016
    
          Side navigation
  

        

  
  
              Current Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Forthcoming Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Expired Funding
    
      
            
            
            
      Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
    
      
            
            
            
      Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
    
      
            
            
            
      Fellowship & Student Programs
    
      
            
            
            
      Travel Scholarships
    
      
            
            
            
      NIJ Challenge ProgramSimilar Awards
        
                      Evaluation of Target Enrichment for SNP Genotyping of Skeletal Remains
                  Analytical Challenges with Proliferating THC Analogues
                  Developing and Validating Standards for Dental Cementum Age-at-Death and Season-of-Death Estimation
 Top

      National Institute of Justice

        
        
                        About NIJ
                    About NIJ
      
    
                  How NIJ Is Organized
      
    
                  NIJ Director
      
    
                  Research Disclaimer
      
    
                  Funding & Awards
                    Funding & Awards Home
      
    
                  Awards Listing
      
    
                  Current Funding
      
    
                  Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
      
    
                  Resources
                    Events
      
    
                  Podcasts
      
    
                  Publications
      
    
                  Topics
      
    
                  Multimedia
      
    
                  Reuse Policy
      
    
                  Contacts
                    Contact NIJ
      
    
                  Staff Directory
      
    
                  Submit a FOIA Request
      
    
                  File a Civil Rights ComplaintFacebook
          
                      X
          
                      YouTube
  

      810 7th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20531
      
              Secondary Footer link menu
            Accessibility
              Plain Language
              Privacy Policy
              Legal Policies and Disclaimer
              No FEAR Act
              Freedom of Information Act
              USA.gov
              Justice.gov