Detailing the process of identifying and the outcomes of efforts to address lawfully "owed" DNA.

While missed DNA sample collection has been an identified problem for decades, there has yet to be a scholarly publication related to a large-scale effort to address lawfully "owed" DNA outside of a prison system. Lawfully owed DNA samples are DNA samples that legally should have been collected and entered into Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) based upon a qualifying offense but were not. As the first jurisdiction funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance's Sexual Assault Kit Initiative to address lawfully owed DNA, this case study fills this knowledge gap by answering four key questions: What was the scope of the problem in this jurisdiction? What was the process by which individuals who owe were identified? What were the outcomes of these efforts? And what were the lessons learned and recommendations for other jurisdictions? Findings from this case study indicate widespread DNA sample collection issues in this jurisdiction, with nearly 15,000 identified as owing DNA over the span of approximately 7 years.

Understanding the Geography of Rape through the Integration of Data: Case Study of a Prolific, Mobile Serial Stranger Rapist Identified through Rape Kits.

Environmental criminological research on rape series is an understudied field due largely to deficiencies in official and publicly available data. Additionally, little is known about the spatial patterns of rapists with a large number of stranger rapes. With a unique integration and application of spatial, temporal, behavioral, forensic, investigative, and personal history data, we explore the geography of rape of a prolific, mobile serial stranger rapist identified through initiatives to address thousands of previously untested rape kits in two U.

The case for "investigate all": Assessing the cost-effectiveness of investigating no CODIS hit cases in a sexual assault kit initiative.

An increasing number of US jurisdictions have begun to submit their previously untested sexual assault kits (SAKs) for DNA testing. However, best practices for what should happen after testing are not well established. Should all cases be investigated regardless of the testing outcome or only those that returned a DNA hit? We examine an early-adopter jurisdiction that has completed testing and investigating all 5165 previously never tested kits.