RAPE  AND  SEXUAL  BATTERY / MISCONDUCT

A sex crime is one of the most difficult to prove, for several reasons:

*  Usually there are only two persons present during the crime, the victim and the offender, and with no other witnesses, it often boils down to one person's credibility over another's. Other types of evidence are then needed, and a thorough forensics investigation is necessary.

*  The sensitive and personal nature of sex-related crimes makes them difficult to explain to the police, a prosecutor, or a courtroom. Sheer embarrassment may make doing what is necessary extremely difficult. Our agents understand this and strive to make the entire process as comfortable as possible for the victim.

*  Victims may feel guilty or ashamed about what has happened to them. Spouses, boyfriends, families, or friends can alleviate this, but sometimes, in their own confusion about what has happened, they only further complicate the distress of the victim. RSA realizes this and works to inform the entire cast of the process and status of the case.

While witnesses to sex crimes are rare, the forensic science now available for evidentiary purposes in sex crimes more than compensates. Forensic evidence can convict a rapist more surely than eyewitnesses could. In cases where witnesses are even available, they may remember things quite differently from what actually happened. This is not to insinuate that they are liars, but only that each person's perception is unique and may contradict other witnesses who are just as sincere. Also, witnesses are humans who may become flustered when examined by an attorney or judge. But forensic evidence is objective, quantifiable, and solid. Examples of forensic techniques employed in gathering evidence of a sex crime include (but are not limited to):

*  DNA testing of body fluids (saliva, semen and blood), hair, or skin.

*  Testing of clothing fibers found at the scene.

*  Analysis of footprints, tire prints, or fingerprints.

*  Hypnosis may improve mental recall of the victim in order to better describe the assailant(s).

A date rape occurs when one person forces himself onto another during a dating situation. Sometimes the two have known each other for some time. But any time intercourse is had involuntarily, it is rape. Period. But date rape cases require stringent evidentiary procedures and thorough preparedness. Usually when a rape has occurred, several other felonious crimes have been committed simultaneously. For instance, when someone grabs someone else and then takes them to a different location to commit rape, a multitude of separate crimes may have been committed, including assault and battery, kidnapping or abduction, as well as the rape. If the rape itself cannot be proven, perhaps some coincident crime can be.

Our firm's investigators have decades of experience working sex crimes. Successful pursuit of a sex offender always requires both street smarts and a sound knowledge of the latest forensic techniques available. This allows RSA to put together the strongest cases against sex offenders and soundly bring them to justice.

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