The Dust Settles on Sexual Assault Forensic Examinations.

Black and White and Thin Blue Lines

For three decades, the United States Congress has passed laws to fund forensic examinations in sexual assault cases. But it doesn't seem to matter. The country is awash in untested rape kits while repetitive sex offenders continue to violate. In fact, Maryland leads the nation in rape kit backlogs at the forensic lab. But at least the rape kits make it to the lab in Maryland. In New York, cops ameliorate the crime lab backlog with a new strategy: just leave the Sexual Assault Forensic Examination kits uncollected from the hospital. In this week's episode Serge and Clarke discuss SAFE nursing with Marcia "T" and she provides insight into the process, the protection afforded to victims, and a great way to re-think the "she asked for it" bias.