| Description |
Child sexual assault occurs when an individual engages in any form of sexual stimulation with an adolescent under the age of eighteen. Disturbingly common, sexual abuse of children results in mental, physical, and psychological consequences that have the ability to affect, or even completely alter, an entire family. Children are legally unable to consent to any form of sexual activity with an adult, however, total comprehension of the situation and developmentally preparedness plays a role in defining child sexual assault as well. If a child happens to experiences such trauma, they have the choice to complete a sexual assault kit forensic examination. If completed, the collection of evidence from the victim is to be sent to a laboratory for additional testing and security. Unfortunately, there has been a problem in regards to the proper submission of completed sexual assault kits to the laboratories for processing, resulting in a frighteningly large compilation of un-submitted kits. This paper aims to explore previously un-submitted sexual assault kits of juvenile victims, deriving out of case files gathered from police reports, to identify potential factors that impact the consistencies of the submission process. |
