The National SAKI TTA Program: Purpose Area 1

The accumulation of unsubmitted sexual assault kits (SAKs) is a public safety concern that leads to the delay, and in some cases the denial, of justice for sexual assault survivors. Failure to recognize the value of evidence from sexually motivated violent crimes results in missed opportunities to identify and apprehend violent individuals. The Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) established the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) to create a coordinated, community-based response to sexual assault. The SAKI program has established a national network of 82 SAKI grantee jurisdictions, 30 of which are statewide sites, all dedicated to creating a sustainable, improved response to sexual assault. SAKI research and metrics indicate a high level of recidivism among individuals who commit sexual assaults, and their recidivism includes the commission of other types of violent crimes. Acknowledging this link between sexual assaults and other violent crimes, the SAKI program has expanded to include the National Cold Case Initiative. The newly expanded SAKI program ensures a holistic approach to violent crime response that further supports sexual assault response reform.

RTI International has successfully led the SAKI Training and Technical Assistance (TTA) program since the program’s inception in 2015. As a trusted partner with BJA, RTI will deliver an enhanced, scalable, and responsive SAKI site engagement strategy able to meet the new objectives of an expanded SAKI program. RTI will lead SAKI TTA in collaboration with the FY19 SAKI TTA provider, the FY23 PA2 TTA provider, and a team of nationally recognized subject matter experts. Our approach fosters solutions that encompass cross-agency coordination and training, establishment of multidisciplinary teams that support victim engagement and healing, technical strategies for comprehensive inventorying and tracking of both unsubmitted evidence and lawfully owed DNA, and use of national databases such as the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) and the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (ViCAP). 
RTI will deliver responsive, timely, and customized TTA to SAKI sites, national training for grantees, and virtual resources via the SAKI TTA website, all to support sustainable, evidence-based practices that are aligned with national recommendations. Furthermore, RTI will collaborate with SAKI sites to confirm effective and strategic use of multiple U.S. Department of Justice grant funding vehicles and provide comprehensive performance metric data demonstrating the national impact of the SAKI TTA program to inform key representatives of the value of TTA and justify continued support for an expanded SAKI program.