The Forensic Nurse

Many people know that the color of your skin can have an effect on almost every aspect of your life. But what about being raped?

Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing have released a new study that shows dramatic results when it comes to identifying injuries that may have occurred during a sexual assault depending on the color of the victims skin.

The Researchers conducted a study of 120 volunteers who were predominatly white or african-american and conducted examinations after they had engaged in consentual sex. They found that 68% of the white women had incurred at least one external injury (tearing, abrasions, or swelling), but only 43% of the darker skinned women showed the same levels of injury.

Because physical injury as a result of sexual assualt is usually the exception rather than the norm, being able to clearly show an injury often has a positive effect on people “believing” the victims story.

Being a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner or SANE, I have heard countless times from law enforcement officers, social workers, other nurses, and even the victims own family members that they dont believe the victims story.

Sexual Assualts usually happen one on one, in a private setting with no other witnesses, cameras, or other ways to try and help determine if the sex was consentual or not.

Because most of these cases come down to a he said / she said scenario the ability to produce accurate forensic evidence is critical. There may or may not be DNA evidence and if injuries are harder to detect on darker skinned victims that puts them at a distinct disadvantage both clinically and in the criminal justice system.

The Los Angeles Daily News recently reported that the LAPD is a backlog of more than 7,000 rape kits waiting for processing by the LAPD DNA lab.  Some of these cases are nearing the ten year mark, at which time they become inadmissible as evidence due to the statute of limitations law in california with regard to evidence testing. In California, if the kit is tested within two years of the sample collection date, then there is no statute of limitations for it.

The main reason that these kits haven’t been tested yet, is simply manpower and funding. In just five years the demand for kits to be tested has doubled.  According to the article. “In about 2000, the department ordered analysts to keep every shred of cell evidence in rape cases, just in case they might need to test it. Before the change, rape kits were regularly purged from the property division, with the permission of an investigating officer.”

The City of Los Angeles recently approved the hiring of 16 addtional criminalists, but these positions have yet to be funded.

I was recently asked about a case in which an adult male was raped and during the sexual assault had an ejaculation. Often the topic of male rape is forgotten when we talk about sexual assaults.

While rarely reported, male rapes do actually occur.  Perhaps it is male pride or ego, but reporting statistics for survivors of male sexual assault are even lower than that of women. One FBI statistic estimated that close to 3% of adult males will be raped at some point in their lives.

As for why the reporting statistics are so low, it may be due to the fact that this type of event may be even more shameful and traumatic to men than it is to women. Society in general tells men that in order to be respected and seen as desirable that they must be seen as strong, tough, and powerful.

All the experts agree that rape is almost never about the sex. Its about power and control. Excercising your will over someone elses. Essentially proving that you are the one in control. That you are stronger than the other person.

Bringing this type of shame to a man can be exceptionally devastating to their emotional self concienience. By not being able to fend off an attackers the victim may view himself as weak, undesireable, or even homosexual. 

These feelings of homosexuality can be even more confusing if the victim experiences an erection or even ejaculates. Both of these situations are very common and are often used as tools of shame by an attacker to make the victim think that they wanted or enjoyed being raped. In reality these types of reactions are more physiological than anything.

Often people believe that an erection equals sexual arousal. There are many reasons why a man may experience an erection during a sexual assault. The simple friction of touching the millions of tiny nerve endings on the penis could cause an erection, even if the touch was unwanted or unpleasant.

Being penetrated anally can also cause an involuntary erection. The application of pressure on to the prostate gland from digital, penile, or foreign object insertion to the anus can often cause an erection. Any proctologist will tell you that this type of reaction is very typical while performing a Digital Rectal Exam for prostate screening.  

Bringing the victim to the point of ejaculation is also quite common. Rapists will often make every effort possible to ensure that the victim does ejaculate to add the the feelings of guilt, shame, and homosexuality. This can add another layer of power, and dominance, and even increased pleasure for the rapist for having such control over the other person. Remember in most cases its about power not the actual sex.

Child Sex offenders can be exceptionally resourceful at finding ways to place themselves around children in settings that may allow them to abuse their position and sexually assault children. 

While most agencies, and places of employment targeted toward children (like day care centers, foster child homes, etc) are mandated to conduct a background screening for past child sexual assault (or any sexual assaults for that that matter), this type of arrest history check is ineffective at stopping child predators.

A simple arrest record check in most cases will come back clean. Study statistics vary from study to study, but in general they indicate that less than 1-5% of child sex abusers have a prior criminal record. Unfortunately, most child sexual abusers have dozens of victims before they are ever arrested for their crimes.

But what if there was a way to help detect these people before allowing them to commit their crimes.  While this may sound like a far fetched hollywood movie idea like “the Minority Report“, a company called Abel Screening claims to be able to do just that for detecting child sexual predators.

They call it The Diana Screen. This two part computerized test is used to determine the risk of the test-taker having sexually abused a child in the past. According to their website:

The Diana is a pass / fail test, it goes beyond a simple questionnaire to include objectively measured sexual interest in children. The technology that identifies sexual interest, which is a major part of The Diana Screen^® formula, is empirically validated and has been used by therapists and criminal justice professionals more than 100,000 times.

The website further claims The Diana Screen^®identifies over 50% of actual child sexual abusers.

Its an older video of Dateline, but it again demonstrates the prevelance of date rape drug use like GHB (gamma hydroxybutyric acid) and Rohypnol (flunitrazepam) .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2udrpuNxcmM

A gang rape is when a group of two or more attackers sexually assault one or more victims. This type of group rape is sometimes referred to as a “gang bang” or “running a train”. Approximately 10-20% of all sexual assualts are gang rapes. The word tournante is a French adjective meaning “turning” and is used as a slang term to mean a gang rape. According to the testimony of numerous victims, young Muslim women who stray from traditional conduct in the immigrant neighborhoods, such as behaving and dressing like a westerner, or wanting to live as Europeans or refusing to wear the traditional clothing, have been considered by some to be “fair game” for tournantes.

According to Samira Bellil in a CNN interview, there was a trial in Lille regarding a 13-year-old girl who had been allegedly gang-raped by 80 men.

Samira was first gang-raped when she was 14, by a gang led by someone she knew. They beat her viciously and raped her all night. A month later, one of the most violent attackers in the gang followed her and dragged her off a train by her hair, while other passengers looked the other way. She was then brutally gang-raped by the gang members again.

She did not report her rapes until two friends told her that the same gang had raped them too. The typical scenario that takes place is that the targeted young woman is drawn or lured into a secluded area where she is brutalized and repeatedly raped by groups of men who take turns raping her. The victim is usually insulted for behaving in a Westernized manner. Typically the girls are often released afterwards, but rapes are often unreported for fear of reprisals against their families. In nearly every case on record the young victim who does report the crimes committed on them says that days later they would again be caught by the gang and gang-raped again.

These types of attacks can also be further categorized into sub categories like: opportunistic rape, street gang rape, male rape, aquaintance rape.

Opportunistic Rape: The most common scenario is during a burglary or robbery. During the process of committing the robbery the attacker(s) may be startled or interupted by a female who happened upon them. Rather than fleeing the scene they may linger and decide to “take advantage” of the situation by raping her. Often these types of attacks are not especially violent, but may escalate into a violent situtation due to the impulsive nature. Because the attackers were suprized by the person being there, they typically have not planned out what or how to deal with the person. They may use improvised restraining devices or no restraints at all, and simply threaten or imply violence if the victim does not comply.

This type of impromtu sexual assault is usually short in duration. If they were there to commit a robbery in the first place, they may still be trying to get away with the stolen goods. A condom is rarely used since the rape was not premeditated and opportunistic. Ejaculation may or may not occur. Recent SANE-SART statistics on ejaculation sites.

Street Gang Rape: This type of rape is almost completely intracial. Rarely does it cross racial boundaries. Increasingly this type of sexual assault is used as part of the gang initiation process. Sometimes it may involve a younger member of a sister gang who is also being initiated, sometimes it may be a random target chosen off the streets, and in other cases, it may involve a same sex target of a rival gang. This is meant to humiliate and degrade the rival while proving that the attacking gang is stronger.

In many cases there are many levels of insult and intimidation. Forced oral (fellatio) and anal sex are common. Urination  on the victim, especially by later members of the “train procession” as a way to further degrade the victim may occur. With each “round” the levels of degredation, torture, and acts tend to escalate.

 Male Rape: Males who are sexually assualted typically are lower reporters than female victims. Depending on the study used, most statisitics show about 5-10% of victims are male. One study indicated that approximately 36% of male prisoners are sexually assualted by more than one perpetrator. Usually the first time prisoner, illegal immigrants, or phyiscally handicapped (weaker and more vulnerable targets) are the ones targeted for repeated assaults. The majority of these rapes are done by heterosexual males, much like the rival gang rapes listed above.  Violence is much more likely on male on male rapes, as well are the demanding of multiple physical acts. Weapons are also more common method to enduce coersion.
Gang Acquaintance Rapes:  In most instances in a gang aquaintance rape the victim has been carefully selected and includes some group collaberation and forethought before the attack occurs. The victim may have one or more of the following characteristics:

• New student, or new to the area with few friends
• unpopular
• unattractive
• overweight
• already had sex with one of the group members
• intoxicated
• drug use
• low self esteem, may be easily lured / flattered by attention before an assault
• Sorority sister

College campuses are a common location for such incidents. Often at parties or on the way home from a group date. While most acquaintance rapes involve one perpetrator and one victim, the campus gang rape is far too prevelant.

Incoming freshmen females are the most targeted for gang rape. They are usually more naive, tend to be more vulnerable, have fewer friends, and be more willing to be lured into a position of isolation. The first few weeks of the new school semester are the most vulnerable times for gang rape for incoming freshmen.

These types of gang rapes are often planned well in advance and can endure for hours as each group member has their turn. The use of alcohol and other narcotics to subdue the victim. It is not all that uncommon for their to be multiple spectators to the events, and even video taping of the assault. In most cases there is limited to no physical injury to the victim, except for any genital injuries as the result of repeated intercourse.

When and if defendants are ever charged in such cases, they most often don’t deny that sex occured, but that the victim was consentual, or that “she never said no or stop”.

The ForensicNurse.com is helping spread the word about a wonderful new project called points with purpose. 

David Ilan is an artist who came to fame serveral years ago by doing some artistry for the cast of the seinfeld show. In this new work called “points with purpose”, he is applying his unique artistic talents of pointillism drawing (a drawing simply made up of thousands and thousands of little dots instead of a more traditional line drawying.) and helping spread the message about victims of sexual assault.

The transformation of thousands of victims into a drawing of a survivor—a confident, proud and beautiful woman— is the key concept of the drawing. The people who are represented in the dots will be in various stages of the transformation. Some of the people may have already made the transformation and some may be struggling to move past their victimization. After all, each dot represents a real person with real emotions. But all the dots represent people who have a story of rape and sexual abuse in common. Hopefully, one day all the dots will represent only one type of person, the survivor.

This project is open to both female and male survivors of rape or sexual abuse and supporters of survivors.

Each Dot in the drawing represents a single victim, or project supporter. 

If you are a survivor, your dot will be placed on the figure.
If you are a supporter, your dot will be placed on the sheet surrounding the figure.

When its finished the drawing will account for 100,000 “dots” or points, to reflect the 100,000 souls who have been touched by sexual violence.

If you would like to view the drawing, or see its progress, you can check out their website at:

http://www.pointswithpurpose.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=18&Itemid=

President Bush has approved the U.S. Army’s request to execute a soldier convicted of rape and murder. If this sentenance is carried out, it will mark the first execution of a military member since 1961.

Private  Ronald Gray has been on the military’s death row at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, since 1988. The crimes occured nearly two decades ago.  Gray was convicted of raping and killing a female Army private and a civilian near his post at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Another conviction stems from the rape and attempted murder of another fellow soldier in her barracks at Fort Bragg.

Currently, there is no execution date set, and it is expected that there will be several appeals. President Bush was govenor of Texas for 152 executions.

Book Description
An inmate, incarcerated for the rape of seventy-five women, reveals in an interview that if his victims had simply put a pair of old construction boots at the front door, he would have passed by and never even considered them as potential targets. The grieving father of a murdered seventeen-year-old woman admits that he should have been more involved in his daughter’s life and paid attention to the “friends” in her immediate circle.Most of us only half-listen to the public service announcements about safety in the home. We lock our doors at night, but do little else to change habits that may make us the next victims of the dangerous individuals who are always on the watch for their next opportunity.

This book takes readers through the mindset of predatory criminals–their motives, various plans of attack, and way of thinking–and then teaches simple lifestyle techniques that will help reduce the risk of becoming victimized. Criminal behavior specialists Greg Cooper and Mike King provide expert analysis based on real-life cases, in addition to moving insights from victims and criminals themselves. The authors make the point that the people who commit these crimes aren’t much different from the predators of the wild, preying on the weak and unsuspecting. What makes these individuals more dangerous than their instinctive wildlife counterparts, however, is that they consciously choose to inflict their will on the more vulnerable members of their own species. To protect our loved ones and ourselves requires that we truly educate ourselves about the predators who live in our society and then take appropriate action. This excellent, in-depth study will help readers lead safer lives.

About the Author
Gregory M. Cooper (American Fork, UT) is an investigative support services manager for Motorola Inc. Formerly, he worked as Assistant Federal Security Director for Law Enforcement, U.S. Department of Homeland Security; as the police chief of Provo, Utah; and as a unit chief and criminal profiler for the FBI.

Michael R. King (Ogden, UT) is a product planning manager and senior investigative analyst for Motorola. He is a former State Attorney General Chief of Staff and intelligence supervisor for the Utah Criminal Intelligence Center, Department of Public Safety, Division of Homeland Security.

Tom McHoes (Springville, UT) is a freelance journalist who was previously a crimes/investigative reporter for the Provo Daily Herald and The Roseville Press-Tribune.

http://www.amazon.com/Predators-Who-They-Stop-Them/dp/1591025060?ie=UTF8

This week a 911 operator in  Nashville, Tennessee was been fired after he was recorded on a taped 911 call stating that he didn’t “give a s—” about what happened to a woman who had just called to report her ex-boyfriend was threatening her.

Frank Roth, the man who made the statement didnt actually utter those words to the woman who called in. According to Emergency Communications Center spokeswoman Amanda Sluss said, Roth was in training during the February incident and was fired a month later.

Roth made the comments after promising to the woman that police would arrive shortly to assist the woman who was reporting her ex-boyfriend held her at knifepoint and later was threatening her.

The statement was made after hanging up with her but while still being recorded, he said, “I really don’t give a s— what happens to you.”

It took the police nearly three hours to respond to the scene after the initial 911 call.

So why should you give a s—?

According to the American Institute on Domestic Violence, health-related costs of rape, physical assault, stalking, and homicide by intimate partners exceed $5.8 billion each year.

Intimate partner violence victims lose nearly 8.0 million days of paid work each year - the equivalent of more than 32,000 full-time jobs and nearly 5.6 million days of household productivity!

Indirectly we are all shouldering a much greater burder than many of us realize. As a result of domestic violence, you will pay greater cost in health care coverage, longer wait times in the Emergency room, police diversion to respond to these domestic assaults, other co-workers in the office need to work harder to pick up the slack when victims are hospitalized, or unable to attend work.

More Statistics on Domestic Violence from AIDV:

Your Corporate Peers

68% of senior executives surveyed agreed that their company’s financial performance would benefit from addressing the issue of domestic violence among its employees.

94% of corporate security directors rank domestic violence as a high security risk.

78% of Human Resource Directors identify domestic violence as a substantial employee problem.

56% of corporate leaders are personally aware of specific employees who are affected by domestic violence.

60% of senior executives said that domestic violence has a harmful effect on their company’s productivity.

The Human Factor

85-95% of all domestic violence victims are female.

Over 500,00 women are stalked by an intimate partner each year.

5.3 million women are abused each year.
1,232 women are killed each year by an intimate partner.
Domestic violence is the leading cause of injury to women.

Women are more likely to be attacked by someone they know rather than by a stranger.

Domestic Violence in the Workplace

Homicide is the leading cause of death for women in the workplace.

Of the approximately 1.7 million incidents of workplace violence that occur in the US every year, 18,700 are committed by an intimate partner: a current or former spouse, lover, partner, or boyfriend/girlfriend.

Of Battered Workers:

96% experience problems at work due to abuse

74% are harassed while at work by their abuser

56% are late to work

28% leave work early

54% miss entire days of work