Date on Master's Thesis/Doctoral Dissertation
12-2025
Document Type
Doctoral Dissertation
Degree Name
Ph. D.
Department
Criminal Justice
Degree Program
Criminal Justice, PhD
Committee Chair
Campbell, Bradley
Committee Member
Swartz, Kristin
Committee Member
Hughes, Thomas
Committee Member
Lapsey Jr., David
Author's Keywords
sexual assault kits (SAKs); police decision-making; focal concerns; police policies and practice; police discretion; case processing
Abstract
Sexual assault case attrition persists throughout the criminal justice system, partly due to inconsistent Sexual Assault Kit (SAK) submission decisions. This dissertation examines factors influencing police officers' decisions to submit SAKs for forensic testing, applying the focal concerns perspective to understand how legal and extra-legal characteristics shape these decisions. Using statewide Kentucky data from July 2007 to March 2018, this study analyzed 2,194 adult sexual assault cases from 192 law enforcement agencies. Of these cases, 1,520 (69.3%) resulted in SAK submission. Logistic regression analyses examined the full sample, as well as four subsamples. Results provide mixed support for focal concerns theory. Practical constraints, particularly agency type and resources, demonstrated the strongest influence. These findings highlight variation across agencies and support policy reforms including uniform statewide standards and enhanced funding for under-resourced agencies. This research contributes to understanding informal police decision-making in sexual assault cases.
Recommended Citation
Wilks, Rychelle Elizabeth, "The role of law enforcement in sexual assault kit submissions: A statewide analysis of decision-making processes & focal concerns in Kentucky." (2025). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 4652.
Retrieved from https://ir.library.louisville.edu/etd/4652
