RTI International - News Release - 9.22.2009
Web Training to Be Developed to Help Sexual Assault Response Professionals Handle Cases Involving Drugs and Alcohol
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C.—Researchers at RTI International are developing Web-based training as part of a grant to help sexual assault response personnel handle cases involving drugs and alcohol.
The two-year grant, worth almost $500,000, is funded under The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) awarded by the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice.
The grant will allow researchers at RTI to develop and deliver five Web-based training modules to further educate professionals such as sexual assault nurse examiners, sexual assault forensic examiners (SAFEs) and the sexual assault response teams (SARTs), who include law enforcement, emergency medical responders and victim advocates.
SANE/SAFE/SART training specific to Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assault (DFSA) cases is one advanced topic that has received limited attention. DFSA, often referred to as date rape, is a sexual assault that occurs when the victim is overtly drugged by an offender or a sexual assault of an individual who is under the influence of a drug and, thus, unable to consent to sex.
"Professionals who deal with sexual assault need advanced training to increase their skills and knowledge of current trends, particularly related to sexual assault involving drugs and alcohol," said Jeri Ropero-Miller, of RTI's Center for Forensic Sciences and the project's director. "The Web training modules being developed will provide professionals with a better understanding of the fundamental issues of forensic evaluations, the roles of investigators and medical professionals, and evidence collection and analysis for drug-involved sexual assaults."
The Web training will provide sexual assault response professionals with a cost-effective means to continue their professional education focusing on evidence collection and drug recognition behaviors. Each training module will be presented as an instructor-led "virtual classroom" to facilitate student-teacher interaction. In addition, panel discussions will provide information from a number of subject matter experts while competency testing will allow participants to measure their ability to apply the knowledge obtained from the training. Subsequent on-demand modules will provide flexible access to the information.
"It is believed that increased understanding of the fundamental issues of sexual assault may increase the effectiveness of sexual assault response teams and the prosecution of offenders," said Peter Stout, of RTI's Center for Forensic Sciences and the project's co-director. "Increased effectiveness in DFSA response has the potential to enhance community support and awareness for the victims."
RTI is collaborating with The University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Nursing program and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Laboratory on this project.
News Media Contacts