Enhancing Conviction Integrity through Forensics
Resource:
Achieving Justice: Understanding the SANE Approach for Effective Prosecution of Sexual Assault and Other Violent Crimes
Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners (SANEs) provide extensive medical, psychological, and forensic services for patients who present following a sexual assault or other violent crime. Although SANEs strive to effectively coordinate with law enforcement, prosecution, and advocacy, the professional role of the SANE is—by definition and practice—independent and objective. First and foremost, a SANE is a healthcare provider; their priorities are defined by medical protocol and the needs of their patients. To effectively work with SANEs as fact or expert witnesses, prosecutors must first understand the role of the SANE in providing patient-centered care. This involves taking a patient history, conducting a physical examination, documenting and evaluating findings, collecting forensic specimens for the patient, and providing a discharge plan. This presentation, which provides the professional perspectives of both SANEs and prosecutors, focuses on the details of medical-forensic examinations, how SANEs are qualified as experts at trial, and how medical evidence is effectively presented to a jury.
