Medleya

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Hello, Medleya, and welcome to Wikipedia! My name is Adam and I work with the Wiki Education Foundation; I help support students who are editing as part of a class assignment.

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If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me on my talk page. Adam (Wiki Ed) (talk) 17:12, 5 April 2016 (UTC)

Hi April!

My name is Cait and I am a fellow student in your Feminist Economics class. Looking forward to learning with you this quarter, and feel free to message me on my talk page . Cmhofley (talk) 18:22, 8 April 2016 (UTC)

Topic Proposal

Proposal to update "Rape kit"

I am interested in updating the "Rape Kit" article to provide greater context for understanding the backlog problem in the United States. My early thoughts for accomplishing this include the following:

• update the article headings and organization to better reflect the current backlog focus
• expand the description and use of rape kits to include collection procedures and requirements generally, as well as a description of the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS)
• add a general synopsis of the backlog problem, including broader statistics and an explanation of why the backlog exists based on findings from recent studies
• update the legal efforts by states and the federal government to combat the problem and describe the efficacy of such initiatives based on findings from recent studies
• update the federal funding section to include the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative by the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance

Potential References

1. Bell, S. (2013). rape kit. Oxford University Press. doi:10.1093/acref/9780199594009.013.1034
3. Bettinger-Lopez, C. (2016, March 15). The Sexual Assault Kit Initiative: An Important Step Toward Ending the Rape Kit Backlog [Web log post]. Retrieved April 14, 2016 from https://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2016/03/15/sexual-assault-kit-initiative-important-step-toward-ending-rape-kit-backlog
5. Corrigan, R. (2013). The New Trial by Ordeal: Rape Kits, Police Practices, and the Unintended Effects of Policy Innovation. Law & Social Inquiry, 38(3), 920-949. doi:10.1111/lsi.12002
7. Fucci, G. E. (2015). NO LAW AND NO ORDER: LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RESPONSES TO THE UNITED STATES RAPE KIT BACKLOG CRISIS. Cardozo Public Law, Policy & Ethics Journal, 14193.
9. International Association of Chiefs of Police. (2015). 2015 RESOLUTIONS: ADOPTED AT THE 122ND ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN CHICAGO, ILLINOIS. Retrieved April 14, 2016 from http://www.theiacp.org/Portals/0/documents/pdfs/Resolutions/2015Resolutions.pdf
11. O'Connor, K. P. (2003). Eliminating the Rape-kit Backlog: Bringing Necessary Changes to the Criminal Justice System. UMKC Law Review, 72193.
13. Mclean-Riggs, E. (2015). Up Against a Wall: Rape Reform and the Failure of Success by Rose Corrigan. New York, New York: New York University Press, 2013. 330 pp. $ 26 paperback. Berkeley Journal Of Gender, Law & Justice, 30340.
15. Patterson, D., & Campbell, R. (2012). The Problem of Untested Sexual Assault Kits: Why Are Some Kits Never Submitted to a Crime Laboratory?. Journal Of Interpersonal Violence, 27(11), 2259-2275 17p. doi:10.1177/0886260511432155
17. Rape kit backlogs. [electronic resource] : failing the test of providing justice to sexual assault survivors : hearing before the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security of the Committee on the Judiciary, House of Representatives, One Hundred Eleventh Congress, second session, May 20, 2010. (2010). Washington : U.S. G.P.O., 2010.
19. Shaw, J., & Campbell, R. (2013). Predicting Sexual Assault Kit Submission Among Adolescent Rape Cases Treated in Forensic Nurse Examiner Programs. Journal Of Interpersonal Violence, 28(18), 3400-3417 18p. doi:10.1177/0886260513504496.
21. Tofte, S. (2010). "I used to think the law would protect me" : Illinois's failure to test rape kits. New York, NY : Human Rights Watch, c2010.
23. Tofte, S. (2009). Testing justice : the rape kit backlog in Los Angeles City and County. New York, NY : Human Rights Watch, c2009.
25. Untested Evidence in Sexual Assault Cases. (2016). National Institute of Justice. Retrieved April 16, 2016, from http://www.nij.gov/topics/law-enforcement/investigations/sexual-assault/Pages/untested-sexual-assault.aspx
27. Whitney, S., & UC Berkeley Graduate School of, J. (2013). Ending the Backlog.
29. Yee, A. (2013). Reforms urged to tackle violence against women in India. The Lancet. 381(9876), 1445–1446. Retrieved from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(13)60912-5

Medleya (talk) 14:47, 16 April 2016 (UTC)

Additional References re: Global Use

2. Bakshi, P.M. (1994). The Offence Of Rape and Certain Medico-legal Aspects. National Commission for Women.
4. Pitre, A. Sexual Assault Care and Forensic Evidence Kit Strengthening the case for use of the kit. Retrieved from: http://www.cehat.org/go/uploads/SafeKit/iwhmpaper.pdf
6. Ajema, C., Mukoma, W., Kotut, R., & Mulwa, R. (2015). Documenting medico-legal evidence in Kenya: Potential strategies for improvement. BMC Proceedings, 1-3. doi:10.1186/1753-6561-9-S4-A2
8. Badejoko, O. O., Anyabolu, H. C., Badejoko, B. O., Ijarotimi, A. O., Kuti, O., & Adejuyigbe, E. A. (2014). Sexual assault in Ile-Ife, Nigeria. Nigerian Medical Journal, 55(3), 254-259. doi:10.4103/0300-1652.132065
10. Jewkes, R., Christofides, N., Vetten, L., Jina, R., Sigsworth, R., & Loots, L. (2009). Medico-Legal Findings, Legal Case Progression, and Outcomes in South African Rape Cases: Retrospective Review. Plos Medicine, 6(10), 1-9. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000164
11. Jina, R.; Jewkes, R., Christofides, N.; Smith, J. Recovering of DNA evidence after rape. S. Afr. Med. J. 2011; 101:758-759.
13. Martin LJ. Forensic evidence collection for sexual assault: a South African perspective. Int J Gynaecol Obstet 2002;78 Suppl 1:S105-S110.

Medleya (talk) 00:00, 7 May 2016 (UTC)

comments

Hi, Medleya. I think your idea to split out a new article is a good one. I'd recommend naming the article something like 'Rape kits in the United States', unless the article will cover an acute backlog or there are otherwise few differences in the use of rape kits between the US and other countries. Does that make sense? Let me know if you need a hand working on this in the future and if you plan on updating the proposal above before doing so or just plan to jump right in. Adam (Wiki Ed) (talk) 17:00, 16 May 2016 (UTC)

Thanks, Adam. I have a few questions/comments for you. First, I had planned to cover the acute problem of the backlog in the United States because there is so much information on the issue: the discovery of rape kits across the country, to state legislation to combat it, to national efforts and national funding, to data on states that have since tested the thousands of kits. I was thinking I'd leave the other relevant issues concerning rape kits in the US (e.g., the inaccessibility in rural areas) on the rape kits page, as I'll be adding other countries to that page in the by country section. I've been able to find a very limited amount of information on other countries, so these sections will be short (and therefore overwhelmed by the current discussion of the US). I can see the value in calling the new page Rape kits in the United States as well, as it'd give the opportunity to discuss the laws and protocols in the US in greater detail, and would allow for other pages in the future to be added for specific countries. Under this title, I would again have subheadings for the various barriers, including the backlog. My only concern is that the backlog portion will dominate the article, and so I wonder if you think anything is lost by not putting it in the title? Second, I updated my proposal on the Rape kits talk page just short of a week ago, but I have yet to receive any comments. Lastly, can you explain the process of "splitting" the article? Do I simply create a new article and cut and paste the information from the current article? Or do I have to use my sandbox in some way? I look forward to your input! Thanks!!Medleya (talk) 13:42, 21 May 2016 (UTC)