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SURVIVOR'S GUIDE
KANSAN.COM
FROM GUIDE PAGE 09
- Next, the patient will sign a consent form. There are separate forms for non-reporting and reporting, the difference being with non-reporting, the patient will sign a form saying they do not want LMH to give the evidence to the police; instead they want to send the kit to KBI and have them hold it for up to five years during which they can decide to report at any time.
- The evidence kit is driven strictly by what the patient wants.
- Nurses will ask the patient to describe what happened starting with the time the incident occurred. They do this to make sure they know what evidence to collect — for instance, bruising, cuts or scrapes. Woodson said describing what happened is one of the hardest parts of the process.
- SAFE Exams generally take two to four hours depending on what the patient has gone through.
- Woodson said when she does exams she explains to the patient every thing she does and why she might need to collect pubic hair,
blood samples, fingernail scrapings or swabs. Not every patient will have every type of sample taken. It depends on what happened in their situation.
- Woodson said it's rare, but when they do have patients come in wearing the clothes the sexual violence happened in, they have clothing for them to change into and supplies for them to shower, brush their teeth, etc. In cases like this they will also collect clothing for evidence.
- Woodson said another difficult part of the process is photographing the injuries. For each area they
need to photograph they must take three photos: a distant shot, a closer shot and a close-up shot with a ruler. This is so if the photos ever end up in court for a trial, it's easy to identify that it's the patient's elbow, leg, etc.
- LMH uploads the photos to a secure computer program. If the photos are sent to the district attorney, they are transferred online through the program and the district attorney must have an access key to download the photos. There's a specific consent form for photography that requires the patient's permission to send the photos anywhere.
- Woodson said it's important that
the patient always know that this is their kit, not the police's kit or the hospital's kit.
- During the exam the nurse will also give medication for STDs, which the patient does not have to pay for, and the nurse will test to see if the patient is pregnant. If the patient is pregnant they will be offered Plan B, also at no charge.
- The nurse will then advise the patient to have a follow-up exam at a later date.
What if my sexual assault happened a year ago and I didn't get a rape kit? Should I still report?
Yes. You can still go to the hospital and get STD medication and counseling. You can also still report to the police. The hospital won't collect evidence, but it's still a good idea to see what resources they have available.
FURTHER RESOURCES »
- The Office of Institutional Opportunity and Access' process, from when the complaint comes in to their recommendations to Student Affairs
- Student Affairs' process, from IOA's recommendation to sanctioning
- The Lawrence Police Department's and KU Public-Safety Office's step-by-step investigations
- Definitions of the terminology
Tips for ensuring maximum evidence collection after sexual violence occurs:
- Do not shower or brush your teeth.
- Leave on the clothes in which the sexual assault occurred and go to LPD, KU PSO or a survivors' organization like the Emily Taylor Center. KU PSO will also pick you up and take you to the hospital. The important thing is to go somewhere you feel safe.
- If you feel comfortable, take a friend or family member for support. The hospital will also have an advocate there to support you and go through the process with you from start to finish if you'd like.
- If you choose to go to LPD or KU PSO, the police will help you change into different clothes, but doing this at the police station will allow them to collect evidence that may fall off your clothing.
- If you absolutely must take your clothes off to change, store them in a clean bag (one that has not been used before). A clean bag will also help if you are not yet comfortable going to the police. If you cannot go to the police for at least a few days, make sure to use a paper bag to avoid mold growth on the clothes. Your clothes can still be used for evidence, but mold growth will interfere. If you can, though, police urge you to go to the police station wearing the clothes you wore when the sexual violence occurred.
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