This document contains recommendations for corrections administrators to use to adapt the national protocol for sexual assault medical forensic examinations for adults and adolescents.
This document from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), Office on Violence Against Women, contains recommendations for use by corrections administrators to use when adapting DOJ's national protocol for sexual assault medical forensic examinations for adults and adolescents for their facilities. The recommendations for corrections administrators specify that corrections facilities dealings with the problem of sexual assault should provide victim-centered care in a timely manner that focuses on the physical, mental, and emotional needs of the victim, and that the response should be done in a coordinated team approach. The facilities covered under this protocol include prisons, jails, and community confinement facilities. The protocol addresses the needs of both adult and adolescent victims of sexual assault in these facilities but it does not address sexual assault victims confined to juvenile detention facilities. The protocol also does not address suspect examinations in any detail. The national protocol was developed by the DOJ's Office on Violence Against Women pursuant to the creation of the Violence Against Women Act of 2000. The three main sections of the guide cover the following: 1. A Primer on Corrections-Based Sexual Assault; 2. Overview of the Sexual Assault Medical Forensic Examination for Victims in Correctional Facilities; and 3. Recommendations. Bibliography and appendixes