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Research

Research

Kentucky Sexual Assault Forensic Examination (SAFE) Kit Backlog Research Project

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In 2017, The Kentucky Attorney General’s Office of Victims Advocacy provided funding for the Kentucky SAFE Kit Backlog Research Project to examine the problem of previously unsubmitted SAFE kits. The research team is collecting information to understand the factors that contributed to the number of unsubmitted SAFE kits, the characteristics associated with SAFE kits, kit submission rates throughout the Commonwealth, as well as testing results and case outcomes.

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SAFE Act Reports

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The 2016 SAFE Act called for annual reports to the Kentucky General Assembly related to the submission and testing of SAFE kits and the reporting of incidents of sexual assault in Kentucky.

 

The Cost of Not Testing SAFE Kits: An Economic Harm Study

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The 2016 SAFE Act also called for an analysis of the crimes committed by perpetrators identified during the effort to test previously untested SAFE kits. It was anticipated that such a study would demonstrate that the cost of crimes committed by these sexual assault perpetrators is far greater than the cost of providing sufficient annual funding to the Forensic Laboratory and ensuring offenders are caught and prosecuted in a timely manner.

This project was supported by Grant No. 2017-AK-BX-0009 and 2019-AK-BX-0015 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the U.S. Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

©2020 by SSH Consulting, LLC

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