Thinking Outside the Box: Limiting the Collection of Rape Kit Evidence in Acquaintance Rape Trials

This article explores the concept of limiting the collection of rape kit evidence in cases where the victim knows the person who raped them. The author argues that this practice would encourage more victims to report rapes if they know they will not have to endure traumatic and invasive medical exams, prevent jury bias if the victim has had a recent consensual sexual partner, and allow limited resources for rape kits to be used for “cases where the DNA is required to ascertain the identity of the perpetrators, thus potentially leading to the apprehension of more offenders” (p. 768).