Predicting Sexual Assault Prosecution Outcomes

Abstract

Sexual assault prosecution is often influenced by extralegal factors, such as victims' age, race, and prior relationship to the assailant. The importance of evidentiary characteristics remains unclear. Prior studies suggest that victim credibility may be a central concern to law enforcement and prosecutors. However, many communities have implemented interventions to improve the accessibility and quality of medical forensic exams for sexual assault victims. One such intervention, a sexual assault nurse examiner program, was the focus of the current study. The authors examined what factors predicted adult sexual assault case investigation and prosecution in a large Midwestern county with such a program. They compared the predictive utility of victim characteristics, assault characteristics, and forensic medical evidence in explaining case outcomes. Medical forensic evidence collected by the sexual assault nurse examiner program accounted for significant unique variance in case outcomes, above and beyond victim and assault factors.