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The Detroit Sexual Assault Kit (SAK) Action Research Project

Award Information

Award #
2011-DN-BX-0001
Funding Category
Continuation
Location
Awardee County
Wayne
Congressional District
Status
Closed
Funding First Awarded
2011
Total funding (to date)
$1,515,000

Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2011, $200,000)

The grantee will conduct Phase I of a two phase Action Research Project examining the problem of untested Sexual Assault Kits in the Detroit Police Department storage room. A preliminary audit has confirmed at least 8,461 kits were never submitted to a crime lab analysis. To respond to this problem, key stakeholders, including the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, the Detroit Police Department, the Michigan State Police Crime Lab, and Detroit-area victim service organizations, have agreed to work together in this action research project to study why this happened and how it can be resolved. The Detroit SAK Action Research Project will follow McEwen's action research model for locally-initiated research partnership programs. The mission is to study the problem of untested kits in Detroit, to develop model protocols, and to implement and evaluate those protocols. ca/ncf

Date Created: March 21, 2011