National Practices for SAKs

The Sexual Assault Forensic Evidence Reporting (SAFER) Act focuses on the accurate, timely, and effective collection and processing of DNA evidence in sexual assault investigations. To support these efforts, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) released a set of best practices in response to the community’s needs.

Through the report National Best Practices for Sexual Assault Kits: A Multidisciplinary Approach, NIJ’s SAFER Working Group created 35 recommendations; these recommendations provide a guide to victim-centered approaches for responding to sexual assault cases and improving victim support throughout the criminal justice process.

With the help of the Forensic Technology Center of Excellence (FTCoE), NIJ has developed the National Best Practices for Sexual Assault Kits mobile app to create a mobile-friendly version of the SAFER Working Group’s report. The National Best Practices for Sexual Assault Kits mobile app allows users to view the report on a mobile device, such as a smartphone, for easy recall of the report’s content.

The app also has links to the Center for Forensic Nursing Excellence International ’s Multidisciplinary Glossary on Sexual Violence, the PDF version of the National Best Practices for Sexual Assault Kits: A Multidisciplinary Approach, and the FTCoE website.