Final Report: Alaska Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Study

Abstract

This project examined the characteristics of sexual assault victimizations in Alaska, as observed and recorded by sexual assault nurse examiners in Anchorage, Kodiak, Bethel, Soldotna, Nome, Fairbanks, Homer, and Kotzebue. The sample utilized for this study includes all sexual assault nurse examinations conducted in Anchorage from 1996 to 2004, in Bethel and Fairbanks in 2005 and 2006, and in Homer, Kodiak, Kotzebue, Nome, and Soldotna in 2005 (N = 1,699). This final report provides a thorough descriptive analysis of the sexual assault nurse examinations included in this study. This descriptive analysis focuses on demographic characteristics of patients; pre-assault, assault, and post-assault characteristics; exam characteristics and findings; suspect characteristics; and legal resolutions. The report then examines the predictors of genital injury. More specifically, it examines the effect of time elapsed from assault to report and of patient condition at the time of the assault. The effect of time elapsed from assault to report is examined by comparing the genital injuries of patients that reported to a sexual assault nurse examiner within 24 hours to the genital injuries of patients that did not. The effect of patient condition at the time of the assault is examined by comparing the genital injuries of patients that were sober, intoxicated, and incapacitated at the time of the assault. Results show that neither time elapsed from assault to report nor patient condition at the time of the assault impacted genital injury. The report also examines the effect of genital injury on legal resolutions. More specifically, it examines how the presence and frequency of genital injury impacts the likelihood that cases are referred for prosecution, the likelihood that cases are accepted by prosecutors, and the likelihood that cases result in a conviction. Results show that genital injury did not impact legal resolutions. Other factors, non-genital injury in particular, were significantly associated with both genital injury and legal resolutions. The relevance of these additional factors is discussed