The Forensic Nurse

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 is a historic week for the american judicial system.  The U.S. Supreme Court will hear a case about Kennedy vs Louisiana , in an attempt to determine whether it is “cruel and unusual punishment” to execute someone who is convicted of child rape. The last execution of a rapist whose offense did not include murder was in 1964.

Patrick Kennedy, age 43,  is on Louisianas’ death row for the 2003 rape of his 8 year old stepdaughter,who initially lied to the police and said she had been assaulted by two boys in her garage and later recanted. Currently the only person in the United States on death row for a rape that did not include murder.

There are currently five states with laws on the books that allow the capital punishment of an individual for the rape of a child under the age of 12; Lousiana, Montana, Oklahoma, Texas and South Carolina.

Staff Sgt. Tyrone Luther Hadnott, 38, was arrested earlier this month on suspicion of raping a 14-year-old girl in Okinawa. He admitted to forcing the girl down on the ground and kissing her, but has denied raping her.

Hadnott was released when the girls family asked to have the charges dropped. No word yet on if he may face any addtional charges and/or disiplince from the US military.

As if being sexually assualted isn’t bad enough, in some instances victims are billed for the forensic medical exam used to collect evidence against their attacker.

In order to qualify for federal grants under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA),  every state must assume the full out of pocket costs for forensic medical examinations.

The cost of collecting and processing the evidence collection kit varies widely from location to location and from state to state. Some may be as little as a few hundred dollars and others may range into the several thousands of dollars.

The billing process isnt nationally standardized either. Some centers may bill the insurance company directly, some may attempt to collect from the victims compensation act funds, and yet still others may bill the victim to cover some or all of the fees.

 Definitions under VAWA: For the purpose of the VAWA requirement, the term “forensic medical examination” means “an examination provided to a sexual assault victim by medical personnel trained to gather evidence of a sexual assault in a manner suitable for use in a court of law” According to regulations of the STOP Program, the exam should include, at a minimum, i) examination of physical trauma; ii) determination of penetration or force; iii) patient interview; and iv) collection and evaluation of evidence. The inclusion of additional procedures (e.g., testing for STIs) to obtain evidence may be determined by the State, Indian tribal government, or unit of local government in accordance with its current laws, policies, and practices.

By regulation, “full out-of-pocket cost” means “any expense that may be charged to a victim in connection with a medical forensic examination for the purpose of gathering evidence of a sexual assault” Examples of such expenses may include the full cost of the exam or a fee established by the facility conducting the exam. Often, medical services that are not related to evidence gathering will not be covered by this requirement.

Related Articles:

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/on-health-and-money/2008/02/21/rape-victims-can-be-hurt-financially-too.html

http://samfe.dna.gov/overarching_issues/payment/>

Three men and a juvenile offender are accused in an alleged gang rape on the state Capitol grounds over the weekend.

Police said they arrested the men shortly after the incident early Saturday morning. Edward Eter, 26, of Honolulu; Turan Sirom, 23, and Makichi Aiwo, 19, of Kalihi, were all arrested, police said. Police are not releasing the identity of the 16-year-old boy because he is a juvenile.

According to police reports, the 43-year-old woman met Sirom and Aiwo at the bus stop — Eter and the teenage boy joined them later.

According to police, the four men lured the woman to a grassy area near a cluster of government buildings and sexually assaulted her.

A sheriff’s deputy was patrolling the Capitol grounds early Saturday morning when he stumbled upon the attack at the Korean War Memorial. According to the prisons department, the deputy saw what appeared to be four men attacking the woman near the memorial. He called for backup and chased down the suspects.

Although not often talked about, the age of a person can significantly affect their risk of being sexually assaulted. Specific age demographics of women are at higher risk for rape because of their current state of psychological development.  Another important characteristic that needs to be considered is the activities that their particular age demographic partakes in. Meaning younger female children are more likely to be left alone and in contrast the oldest females tend to live alone. College age women are more likely to be out on a date, consuming alcohol, and engaging in riskier behavior in general even though this age demographic has the greatest ability to fight off an attack.

Women in their late late 20’s and into their 30’s and 40’s tend to have more stable relationships and families that tend to engage in less risky behavior. Probably why they get better rates on car insurance too.

While genital injury during a sexual assault is not all that common, there are some warning signs that you should look for. Injury may or not be immediately visible to the naked eye, or even with a woods lamp.

Symptoms of Genital Injuries in Females may include:

• pain in the abdomen

• pain inside or outside the vagina

• bleeding

• swelling

• redness and swelling within the vagina

• painful urination

• inability to urinate

• foul smelling discharge

• feeling faint

Signs of Genital Injuries in Females may include:

• cuts or tears anywhere in the genital region

• an object embedded in the vagina

• bite marks on the genitalia

• bruising of the vulva, the outside of the vagina

• bleeding under the skin of the vulva

• change in the shape of the vaginal lips, vulva, or other areas

• swelling

• redness and swelling within the vagina

• shock

Commonly referred to as a form of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD, Rape Trauma Syndrome is a mental health disorder that  can affect persons who have undergone a severely traumatic event such as rape, kidnapping, or domestic assault.

Some common symptoms of PTSD and Rape Trauma Syndrome are:  

• recurrent memories or flashbacks of the incident
• nightmares
• insomnia
• mood swings
• difficulty concentrating
• panic attacks
• emotional numbness
• depression
• anxiety

Persons who have been sexually assaulted have also been noted to have increased risk for developing other mental health problems. Over those who have not been victimized, rape victims are:

• three times more likely to have a major depressive episode
• four times more likely to have contemplated suicide
• thirteen times more likely to develop alcohol dependency problems
• twenty-six times more likely to develop drug abuse problems

According to the United States Code, there are two general classifications of sexual assault, sexual abuse and aggravated sexual abuse.

So what is the difference?

Sexual abuse is described as acts where an individual is forced to engage in sexual activity by use of threats or other fear tactics, or in instances where an individual may not be physically able to decline.

Aggrevated Sexual Abuse  is when an individual is forced to submit to sexual acts by use of physical force, threats of injury or death, kidnapping, or by substances that render a person unconscious or impared.

Some other terms that we may want to clarify at this point are:

Direct Visual Inspection
In this method, injuries are identified through simple observation by a health care professional during a standard gynecological or forensic examination. It was the primary method used in examining female victims after sexual assault from about 1970 to 1990.

Staining techniques
Several staining solutions have been used: Gentian violet, Lugol’s solution, toluidine blue and flurorscein. A health care professional applies a staining solution in and around the female genitals. The solution makes injured tissues stand out from uninjured, surrounding areas. For example, with Lugol’s, tears in the epithelium appear as unstained, lighter areas than surrounding, uninjured genital tissues; with toluidine blue, tears or injured genital tissues pick up the stain and appear darker than uninjured tissues.

Colposcope
A Colposcope is a device used  to illuminate and magnify the part of the body being inspected by a health care professional. In some models a green lens filters make scars or abnormal patterns of blood vessels stand out from normal genital tissue. Colposcopy enables examiners to detect microscopic injury, and it reduces the need for repeated examinations of rape victims. The colposcope can be attached to a 35mm, digital camera or video camera for documentation when evaluation by other medical experts is needed, or as evidence for prosecuting cases.