Just A Cost Benefit Analysis Of Sexual Assault Investigation

In episode four of our Research and Considerations for Sexual Assault Cases season, Just Science sat down with Dr. Rachel Lovell, Research Assistant Professor at Case Western Reserve University, and Mary Weston, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney at the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, to discuss a recently published article detailing the case for an “investigate all” approach to sexual assault kit investigation. As more jurisdictions submit their previously untested sexual assault kits, investigators are finding that many submissions do not result in a CODIS hit. But should investigators continue their efforts even though there isn’t an immediate suspect identified through CODIS? Dr. Rachel Lovell and Mary Weston provide a compelling case for investigating all previously untested sexual assault kits, regardless of whether there is a CODIS hit. Listen along as they discuss the recently published article, “The case for ‘investigate all:’ Assessing the cost-effectiveness of investigating no CODIS hit cases in a sexual assault kit initiative” in this episode of Just Science. This season is funded by the National Institute of Justice’s Forensic Technology Center of Excellence.