RAPE CASE FORENSICS. Rape is a highly punishable crime in America. According to history, the death penalty was the ultimate punishment; but was replace-d by long sentences when laws were amende-d. Basing the fact that long sentences (20years and above) are involve-d, substantial evidence must be presente-d in court for such judgments. Therefore, it is highly advisable for the victim to use the rape kit within a period of 96 hours to help in securing evidence that will help in the provision of justice. This paper entails a profound content of rape case forensics with the aid of a rape kit.
A rape kit is basically a container that comprises materials, a checklist, guidelines, and envelopes with specimen containers. These components vastly aid in collecting crucial data which confirms the existence of the sexual assault as well as the offender’s DNA. Another common name of a rape kit is the sexual assault forensic exam or Sexual Assault Evidence Kit (SAEK). According to the Violence against Women Act (VAWA), every female victim in the country has a right to access the forensic exam. In addition, the kit is absolutely free to any girl or woman. Undertaking the toolkit within the shortest time, greatly aids in collecting better data that acts as evidence in court. However, there is certain regulation which requires a lot of attention for validating the rape kit evidence.
The Victim should not; bathe, shower, change clothes, comb her hair or clean the scene area.
In a rape case, the scenario is treate-d differently than any medical emergency because of its sensitivity aspect. The Sexual assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs) and Sexual Assault Forensic Examiners (SAFEs) or Sexual Assault Examiners (SAEs) are the staff [W1] assigned to carry out this task. The SANEs are registere-d nurses with clinical requirements for performing the exam. On the other hand, the SAFEs and SAEs are common healthcare professionals equippe-d with the training of performing the exam
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