Implementation of a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Practitioner Evaluation Toolkit

• NCJ Number: 240916
• Author(s): Rebecca Campbell, Ph.D.; Stephanie Townsend, Ph.D.; Deborah Bybee, Ph.D.; Jessica L. Shaw, M.A.; Jenifer Markowitz, N.D., R.N.
• Date Published: August 2012
• Length: 145 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2009-MU-MU-0002
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation

Annotation

This is a report on an implementation evaluation of the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Practitioner Evaluation Toolkit, whose purpose is to teach program staff how to evaluate whether prosecution rates for sexual assault cases in their communities have increased due to the implementation of the SANE program.

Abstract

The assessment of the implementation of the SANE Practitioner Evaluation kit involved the selection of six sites with SANE programs (two rural, two mid-sized, and two urban). These sites were provided comprehensive technical assistance for working through the steps in the toolkit, so they could properly evaluate whether their programs were having a beneficial impact on prosecution rates. Feedback from the sites indicates that the technical assistance package was helpful and user-friendly. Participating in this project also contributed to "process use," meaning that program staff increased their knowledge about evaluation, positive attitudes about evaluation, and organizational commitment to on-going evaluation. In addition, there was substantial evidence of "instrumental use," which indicates that programs used their substantive findings to create action plans for change in their local communities. Participating in this project also promoted "conceptual use" among program staff, i.e., the results challenged SANE program staff to re-examine their programs. Since the evaluation results in the six sites showed that the majority of sexual assault cases did not result in successful prosecution, program staff reviewed their role in the prosecutorial process. The evaluation also impressed upon SANE staff that their program is only one of many factors that influence the outcomes of sexual assault cases. Low rates of prosecution in sexual assault allegations continue to be a nationwide problem. 12 tables, 69 references, and appended supplementary data and information on the toolkit