Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI)

Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) is sponsored by U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA). Provides funding to support the testing of previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits.

About the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative | Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) Resources for Practitioners SAKI TTA Recommendations for Effective Practices Performance Metrics & Research SAKI Sustainability and Sexual Assault Unit Assessments Enhancing Conviction Integrity through Forensics Other Violent Cold Case Crimes About the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative The National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) provides funding through a competitive program to enhance the criminal justice response to sexual assault and hold offenders accountable by maximizing evidence found in sexual assault kits (SAKs).

SAKI is administered by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and aims to create a coordinated response that ensures an effective resolution to sexual assault and other violent crimes through (1) supporting the investigation and prosecution of cases, (2) a comprehensive and victim-centered approach, and (3) jurisdictional capacity building to prevent unsubmitted SAKs in the future.

SAKI sites, both currently and previously funded, represent 44 states and the District of Columbia Why is SAKI so important? SAKI is critical to enhancing the criminal justice response to sexual assault and ensuring justice for victims.

SAKI funding will not only help link victims to advocates and needed services, but also help jurisdictions implement best practices and comprehensive reform to help bring perpetrators to justice and increase safety in communities by preventing future sexual assaults.

SAKI Training and Technical Assistance Program The Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) program, led by RTI International and in partnership with a team of subject matter experts, offers expertise and assistance to jurisdictions as they establish widespread, evidence-based, sustainable practices for: Collecting and processing forensic evidence, Investigating and prosecuting sexual assault cases resulting from evidence from previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits (SAKs), and Supporting survivors of sexual assault.

In collaboration with ongoing efforts underway at the Office of Justice Programs and stakeholder organizations, the SAKI TTA team will assist in the development, implementation, and dissemination of best practices, policies, and protocols for addressing systematic issues that lead to large numbers of unsubmitted SAKs, and preventing those issues from reoccurring in the future.

The SAKI TTA team will efficiently disseminate publications and resources that address the lessons learned, common challenges, and best practices resulting from the experience of the SAKI grantees. Multidisciplinary response: Effective practices, including creating and maintaining a sustainable sexual assault response team (SART) or multidisciplinary team (MDT).

Law enforcement: Identifying investigative steps to take after a CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) hit, prioritizing multiple CODIS hits, writing policy and procedure on investigative standards, collecting and handling evidence, and managing investigations. Prosecution: Overcoming challenges associated with cold case prosecutions, training on witness preparation and questioning, and presenting sexual assault evidence at trial.

Sexual assault nurse examiners (SANE): Identifying needs, gaps, and challenges in local SANE programs and supporting the role of a SANE in sexual assault response reform. Forensics and crime analysis: Offering valuable expertise associated with SAK testing strategies — including forensic genealogy, crime analysis, and other advanced forensic DNA techniques.

Victim and family advocacy: Providing victim-centered and trauma-informed practices that improve how survivors and their families engage in the criminal justice system. Case management: Offering expertise related to connecting crime laboratory information management systems to investigations and prosecutions.

Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) BJA provides leadership and services in grant administration and criminal justice policy development. In consultation with the National Institute of Justice, Office for Victims of Crime, and Office on Violence Against Women, BJA created SAKI to meet the diverse needs of jurisdictions contending with issues resulting from unsubmitted sexual assault kits (SAKs).

Andrea Borchardt, Supervisor, BJA Policy Office — Forensics Unit Hope Zagaria, Policy Advisor, BJA Policy Office — Forensics Unit Hannah Barcus, Associate (Contractor), BJA Policy Office — Forensics Unit Caroline Shriver, Kathryn Manning, Wendy Rose, Brandon Mitchell, and Emma West Rasmus — Grants Management Specialists, BJA Programs Office RTI is a private, nonprofit research organization headquartered in Research Triangle Park, NC.

RTI has comprehensive knowledge of forensic case processing, law enforcement/forensic laboratory operations, and policy/program assessment. RTI serves as the SAKI TTA POC for SAKI sites, collaborates with SAKI TTA partners, manages and provides TTA, and disseminates best practices associated with sexual assault and violent crime response reform.

Kevin Strom, PhD, Project Director Dr. Strom has led numerous, large-scale, complex projects in policing and forensic science, including research focused on unsubmitted and backlogged evidence. For the SAKI TTA, he oversees and guides the TTA team to meet the SAKI TTA objectives.

Devin Oxner, Project Manager Ms. Oxner oversees all project management activities, including monitoring the project plan and timeline, assessing the project for risk, providing budgetary updates and guidance, and supporting the strategic growth of the project.

Misty Marra, TTA Director (Purpose Areas 1, 2, 3 & 5) Ms. Marra is a forensic DNA subject matter expert who leads the development and delivery of TTA resources to support SAKI Purpose Areas 1, 2, 3, and 5 grantees ensuring alignment with national best practices.

With extensive experience in implementing sustainable multidisciplinary responses to sexual assault, she specializes in creating effective SAK testing strategies, including the evaluation of secondary evidence and applying current DNA techniques to partially tested SAKs. Ashley Rodriguez, TTA Director (Purpose Areas 4 & 6) Ms. Rodriguez oversees the development and delivery of TTA resources for SAKI Purpose Area 4 and 6 grantees.

With extensive expertise in applying advanced DNA forensics to criminal investigations, she leads the creation of materials on advanced testing strategies, including the application of forensic genetic genealogy, to support cold case sexual assaults, sexually motivated homicides, and other violent cold case crimes.

Amanda Young, Training Director Ms. Young is responsible for the planning, coordination, and execution of all SAKI TTA trainings, both virtual and in-person. Her duties include cost estimation and reporting activities, identifying and developing topics, engaging presenters, creating promotional materials, and overseeing printed materials for in-person events as well as virtual hosting platforms for online events.

Chris Williams, Operations Director SAKI Training and Technical Assistance Site Engagement Team SAKI TTA provides comprehensive support to SAKI sites through a strategic engagement approach, utilizing Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) in forensic DNA, law enforcement, and prosecution.

This approach is designed to maintain and foster strong relationships with grantees, which are essential for understanding and effectively addressing the challenges they face in resolving cold case sexual assault and violent crime investigations. The SME team coordinates the development and delivery of targeted TTA, creating resources that address the specific needs of all SAKI Purpose Areas.

Additionally, this model enables SAKI TTA to proactively identify impactful trainings and resources, further enhancing site capacity and promoting the adoption of best practices in sexual assault response and SAK testing. SAKI Training and Technical Assistance Partners and Collaborators AEquitas' mission is to improve the quality of justice in sexual violence, intimate partner violence, stalking, and human trafficking cases.

For the SAKI TTA, AEquitas provides assistance in developing policies and best practices, and facilitating training on the prosecution of sexual assault cases. International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) IACP provides training, model policies, and educational tools to support law enforcement officers, criminal justice, and community partners.

For the SAKI TTA, IACP provides assistance in identifying and developing practices, procedures, and training to strengthen victim-centered approaches. Project: Cold Case is a not-for-profit organization which seeks to spread awareness for unsolved homicides in the United States, while linking information, families, and law enforcement together.

Project: Cold Case provides advocacy expertise through trainings, webinars, and direct grantee interaction on the SAKI TTA project. Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN) RAINN is the nation's largest anti-sexual-assault organization and a national leader in online crisis intervention services. RAINN's SAKI TTA role is to provide assistance in developing victim-centered approaches for jurisdictions.

The Joyful Heart Foundation's mission is to transform society's response to sexual assault, domestic violence, and child abuse, support survivors' healing, and end this violence forever.

Violent Criminal Apprehension Program Partnership (ViCAP) In early 2017, the BJA SAKI team partnered with ViCAP in an effort to increase use of the database and the sharing of crime intelligence information from SAKI-related cases across jurisdictions and the country.

ViCAP staff are available to assist sites in gaining entry into the system; provide training on optimal use of the database; and conduct crime analysis on specific offenders/cases upon request. Additionally, ViCAP has a designated SAKI analyst to directly assist our sites. For more information about ViCAP, including the definition of "criteria cases," please refer to: Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP) Strom, K.

J. , Roper-Miller, J. , Jones, S.

, Sikes, N. , Pope, M. , & Horstmann, N.

(2009, October). Survey of law enforcement forensic evidence processing 2007. Final Report.

Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice. Harvard Kennedy School. (2014, October 31).

Taking on the challenge of unsubmitted sexual assault kits [Webinar]. Retrieved from Government Innovators Network Funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative aims to create a coordinated community response that ensures just resolution to sexual assault cases.

Through this program, funding is provided to support multidisciplinary community response teams engaged in the comprehensive reform of jurisdictions approaches to sexual assault cases resulting from evidence found in previously unsubmitted sexual assault kits. This Web site is funded in whole or in part through a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.

Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse, this Web site (including, without limitation, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided).