Week 3 Discussion Sexual Assault Investigation

 

Sexual assault can be the afterthought or primary motivation in burglaries. Home burglaries that are interrupted may result in a sexual assault. It then becomes necessary to process the crime scene for both rape and burglary.  With regard to the sexual assault, what are the primary steps in crime scene investigation? Considering the types of sexual assault victims below, are there certain considerations for these victims? Explain what they are. How would the crime scene differ for each type of victim? How would it remain the same?

 

Female rape victim in her own home

 

Male victim of sexual assault

 

Juvenile victim of sexual assault

 

Elderly victim of sexual assault (65 and older)

 

WThe first responder “needs to triage the victim” (Becker, & Dutelle, 2013, p. 282) especially if the victim is sexually assaulted. The victim should be transported to the hospital immediately. There photos will be taken of any injuries the victim taken.

 

“Chain of custody at some specified interval (e.g., two times a week) to an employee of the police property room. This eliminates one person from the chain of custody and releases officers and victims from having to wait for swabs to dry and proof to be packaged, transported, and impounded” (Successfully Investigating, 2005).

 

The first thing the responders should look for is the elements of rape or sexual crime. This includes asking the victims on whether they sustained injuries, If the victim says yes, they should be taken to a hospital immediately. Photographs will be taken. The first responder must also check things such as clothing of the victim. Then there should be a preliminary interview with the victim to determine the extent and the physical description of the offender.

 

Sexual assault is in most cases an afterthought or even primary motivation in burglaries. However, when investigating the crimes that involved there are several pointers that the first response should look. It is a unique nature of the crime and has a physical impact. The first thing the responders should look for is the elements of rape or sexual crime. This includes asking the victims on whether they sustained injuries, the description of the suspect such as their clothing. The first responder must also check things such as clothing of the victim. Then there should be a preliminary interview with the victim to determine the extent and the physical description of the offender.

 

In the cases of female rape victim in her own home, the investigator should establish whether the motivation was rape or it was an afterthought after burglary. The consideration is whether he or she knows the suspect or he just broke in the house. For male victims of sexual assault there is consideration of the steps to such case and the motivation of the offender. For juvenile victim of sexual assault the case should be considered as a primary motivation rather than the afterthought while the elderly victim of the assault the case should be looking for the primary motivation since it might have mixed reactions (Becker and Dutelle, 2013).

 

In the case of female rape victim in her own home there should be evidence on how the offender broke in and the protocol of events. Under male victim, there might be a show of confrontation between the victim and the offender while it is expected that for a juvenile she must sustain at least some injuries. In case of the elderly victim, there must be a protocol of how the crime happened. In all cases, the crime scene must show confrontation happened at some point.

 

Training of first responders is very important in any investigation, as there are policies and procedures that most be followed. “The key to proper collection, preservation, analysis, and overall usefulness of evidence is open and plentiful communication between investigators, forensic scientists, and prosecutors” (Schiro, 2015, para. 6). No two crime scenes are alike, and no two crime labs are the same.

 

References

 

Becker, R. F., & Dutelle, A. W. (2013). Criminal investigation. Burlington, Mass: Jones &   Bartlett Learning.

 

Schiro, G. (2015). Special Considerations for Sexual Assualt Evidence - Crime ... Retrieved from www.crime-scene-investigator.net/evidenc4.html

 

Successfully Investigating Acquaintance Sexual Assault. (2005). Retrieved from www.mincava.umn.edu/documents/acquaintsa/.../forensicexam.html

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