Imagine if you were sexually assaulted, decided to get evidence collected from your body, and then that evidence sat uninvestigated for decades. In 2010, this was the reality for about 14,000 victims of sexual assault in Ohio alone. In this episode, Laura interviews criminologist Dr. Rachel Lovell of Cleveland State University. They discuss how Ohio cleared the sexual assault test kit backlog over a five year period and how the results have been used to prosecute perpetrators in Cuyahoga County, becoming a role model for other parts of the country. In addition, Dr. Lovell shares how the results of these analyses have resulted in new findings about patterns of sexual assault and new approaches to caring for victims.
Open Access Articles
Dissemination and Impact Amplified: How a Researcher–Reporter Collaboration Helped Improve the Criminal Justice Response to Victims With Untested Sexual Assault Kits
Understanding the Geography of Rape through the Integration of Data: Case Study of a Prolific, Mobile Serial Stranger Rapist Identified through Rape KitsÂ
Evidentiary Discrepancies in Sexual Assault Casework within the US
Transcript of Episode 6