TY - JOUR
T1 - Forensic medical results and law enforcement actions following sexual assault
T2 - A comparison of child, adolescent and adult cases
AU - Cross, Theodore P.
AU - Schmitt, Thaddeus
N1 - Funding Information:
The study from which this article was developed was funded through grant 2011-WG-BX-0005 from the National Institute of Justice to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. We deeply appreciate the substantial assistance of the Boston Police Department Sexual Assault Unit and Crime Laboratory, the Massachusetts State Police Crime Laboratory, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Public Safety and Security, the Massachusetts Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners Program, and the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office. Without their help this study would not have been possible.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2019/7
Y1 - 2019/7
N2 - Background: In sexual assault cases, little research has examined differences in forensic medical findings and law enforcement response by victim age across the entire age range. Objective: This study addressed this gap by comparing four victim age groups: adults, adolescents over the age of consent, adolescents under the age of consent, and children under 12. Participants and setting: Cases were randomly sampled from a statewide database of medical reports on sexual assault examinations conducted in hospital emergency departments, including only cases reported to law enforcement (N = 563). Methods: Data were combined from a medical report database, from coding of medical documentation and crime laboratory reports, and from case data provided by law enforcement. Results: Rates for both younger and older adolescent victims and adult victims were comparable, with no statistically significant differences on most variables: penetration, perpetrator use of force, non-genital and genital injuries, presence of biological evidence, generating assailant DNA profiles, DNA match to suspect, hits in the FBI's DNA database, and law enforcement unfounding (i.e., determining allegations to be false or baseless). Child victims were significantly less likely to have a non-genital injury, and their cases were significantly more likely to be founded by law enforcement. Arrests were significantly more likely when victims were under the age of consent. Conclusions: Despite significant differences by victim age, similarity between adolescent and adult cases was substantial. Both younger and older adolescents may be at higher risk of physical violence during sexual assault than previously recognized, and need greater attention in response systems.
AB - Background: In sexual assault cases, little research has examined differences in forensic medical findings and law enforcement response by victim age across the entire age range. Objective: This study addressed this gap by comparing four victim age groups: adults, adolescents over the age of consent, adolescents under the age of consent, and children under 12. Participants and setting: Cases were randomly sampled from a statewide database of medical reports on sexual assault examinations conducted in hospital emergency departments, including only cases reported to law enforcement (N = 563). Methods: Data were combined from a medical report database, from coding of medical documentation and crime laboratory reports, and from case data provided by law enforcement. Results: Rates for both younger and older adolescent victims and adult victims were comparable, with no statistically significant differences on most variables: penetration, perpetrator use of force, non-genital and genital injuries, presence of biological evidence, generating assailant DNA profiles, DNA match to suspect, hits in the FBI's DNA database, and law enforcement unfounding (i.e., determining allegations to be false or baseless). Child victims were significantly less likely to have a non-genital injury, and their cases were significantly more likely to be founded by law enforcement. Arrests were significantly more likely when victims were under the age of consent. Conclusions: Despite significant differences by victim age, similarity between adolescent and adult cases was substantial. Both younger and older adolescents may be at higher risk of physical violence during sexual assault than previously recognized, and need greater attention in response systems.
KW - Arrest
KW - Child sexual abuse
KW - Forensic evidence
KW - Forensic medical examination
KW - Law enforcement
KW - Sexual assault
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U2 - 10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.04.014
DO - 10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.04.014
M3 - Article
C2 - 31075572
AN - SCOPUS:85065123014
VL - 93
SP - 103
EP - 110
JO - Child Abuse and Neglect
JF - Child Abuse and Neglect
SN - 0145-2134
ER -