Sexual Assault

The third edition of the National Protocol has the same emphasis and values as the previous versions, but it is updated to reflect current technology, science, and standards of practice.  For this revision, OVW solicited input from experts in relevant disciplines, including physicians, forensic nurses, prosecutors, law enforcement, victim advocates, civil attorneys, forensic scientists, and experts in culturally specific and underserved populations. Download the protocol

The Prosecutors’ Framework provides a practical blueprint to strengthen our national response to sexual assault and domestic violence and reduce declinations of meritorious allegations by equipping prosecutors to build provable cases in a trauma-informed manner that treats victims with humanity and ensures due process for defendants. Written by prosecutors for prosecutors, it reflects decades of expertise, insight, and experience of more than 120 state, Tribal, military, and federal prosecutors, as well as advocates, academics, and investigators who have dedicated their careers to combatting sexual assault and domestic violence. Although the focus is on prosecutors, it equally applies to investigators, advocates, and anyone building these sorts of cases. Review additional resources, articles, and trainings that accompany the principles set out in the Prosecutor’s Framework

This resource is designed to help law enforcement agencies recognize, mitigate, and prevent gender bias and other biases from compromising the response to, and investigation of, sexual assault, domestic violence, and other forms of gender-based violence. It provides a set of eight basic principles that – if integrated into law enforcement agencies’ policies, trainings and practices – help ensure that gender bias, either intentionally or unintentionally, does not undermine efforts to keep survivors safe and hold offenders accountable.

Review additional resources that accompany each principle

This companion to the SAFE Protocol offers a framework for the specialized education of health care providers who wish to practice as sexual assault forensic examiners. The training standards include recommendations for training objectives and topics that will enable a sexual assault forensic examiner to implement effectively the guidelines and standards outlined by the protocol. Download the training standards

This white paper presents reasons why OVW cautions against submitting sexual assault kits to forensic laboratories if the person from whom the kit was collected has not chosen to report a sexual assault to law enforcement and has not otherwise consented to its submission. Download the white paper 

The Pediatric SAFE Protocol offers guidance for multidisciplinary agencies that coordinate with health care providers to facilitate medical care that addresses both the acute and longer-term health needs these children face. The goal of the Pediatric SAFE Protocol is to provide evidence-based, trauma-informed recommendations for health care providers who conduct sexual abuse medical forensic examinations of children. Download the protocol

The Confinement SAFE Protocol is designed as a guide to assist administrators of prisons, jails, and community confinement facilities in drafting or revising protocols for an immediate response to incidents and reports of sexual assault. It also identifies issues and recommendations for administrators of lockups and juvenile corrections. This guide extends the efforts of the PREA Commission and the Department of Justice to address an immediate response to sexual assault in correctional environments by offering guidance on how to comply with the PREA Standards, follow a uniform evidence protocol and coordinate response activities, and help correctional facilities strive towards the standards in the SAFE Protocol.

Mandated by the Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting (SAFER) Act of 2013, this guide from the National Institute of Justice contains 35 recommendations for collecting evidence during a medical forensic exam of a sexual assault patient, investigating sexual assault, storing, maintaining, tracking, and processing evidence, as well as maintaining communication with victims. Download the report