Note:
This awardee has received supplemental funding. This award detail page includes information about both the original award and supplemental awards.
Award Information
Description of original award (Fiscal Year 2011, $178,076)
The grantee will conduct Phase I of a two phase Action Research Project examining the problem of untested Sexual Assault Kits (SAK) in the Houston Police Department (HPD) property room. The Houston Police Department is currently storing approximately 16,000 sexual assault kits in the property room. It has not been determined whether these SAKs should be tested based on investigative characteristics of the case. Action research will be conducted to help identify 1) factors inhibiting the number of sexual assault kits forwarded to the Houston Police Department Crime Lab for analysis and 2) factors that undermine the effective use of forensic evidence in sexual assault cases. A Task Force comprised of the following members will examine this issue: HPD's Special Crimes, Homicide, and Crime Laboratory Divisions, the Harris County District Attorney's Office, the Houston Area Women's Center, Sam Houston State University, and the University of Texas at Austin.
ca/ncf