Reporting to Law Enforcement

Recommendations at a glance for jurisdictions and responders to facilitate victim-sensitive reporting practices. 

Many sexual assault victims who come to health care facilities or other exam sites for the medical forensic exam choose to report the assault to law enforcement. Reporting provides the criminal justice system with the opportunity to offer immediate protection to the victim, collect evidence from all crime scenes, investigate the case, prosecute it if there is sufficient evidence, and hold the offender accountable for crimes committed. Given the danger that sex offenders pose to the community, reporting can serve as a first step in efforts to stop them from reoffending. Equally important, reporting gives the justice system the chance to encourage victims to seek assistance to address their needs, identify patterns of sexual violence in the jurisdiction, and educate the public about such patterns. It is recommended that service providers encourage victims to report due in part to the recognition that delayed reporting is extremely detrimental to the prosecution and holding offenders accountable. Victims need to know that even if they are not ready to report at the time of the exam, the best way to preserve their option to report later is to have the exam performed. 
 
Some victims, however, are unable to make a decision about whether they want to report or be involved in the criminal justice system in the immediate aftermath of an assault. Pressuring these victims to report may discourage their future involvement. Yet, they can benefit from support and advocacy, treatment, and information that focus on their well-being. Recognizing that evidence on their bodies is lost as time passes and that they may report at a later date, victims can also be encouraged to have the medical forensic exam conducted. Victims who are recipients of compassionate and appropriate care at the time of the exam are more likely to cooperate with law enforcement and prosecution in the future. 


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