Cases of sexual assault are often difficult to investigate and prosecute. The collection of evidence is a crucial factor when determining if such a case will go forward. Evidence contained in a sexual assault forensic examination kit plays a significant role in whether or not a crime of sexual assault can be prosecuted. It is important that not only the evidence be collected properly, but that the kit itself provide for the proper collection of evidence and materials. Because hospital emergency departments throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania use various kits, there is a vast inconsistency with evidence collection.
Different kits collect different amounts of evidence.
In some cases, the amount of collection envelopes and containers in a kit falls short of what is actually necessary to fully prosecute a case. The consensus of the kit committee was to recommend the commercially available victim kits from the three leading kit manufacturers in the United States. Sexual Assault Victim Evidence Collection Kit Tri-Tech Inc. If the victim refuses to allow hair pulling, hair should be cut as close to the root as possible, or simply not collected for the kit. In cases of suspected drug-facilitated sexual assault, urine samples should be collected separately from the sexual assault evidence collection kits.