Responses to Sexual Violence: Effectiveness of SANE/SART Programs
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Effectiveness of SANE/SART
The SANE program in Albuquerque, N.M., is rated as a promising program.
NIJ studies have found that Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) programs and multidisciplinary Sexual Assault Response Teams (SART): [1], [2]
- Enhance the quality of health care for women who have been sexually assaulted.
- Improve the quality of forensic evidence.
- Increase law enforcement's ability to collect information, file charges and refer to prosecution.
- Increased prosecution rates over time.
Currently the International Association of Forensic Nurse's database shows at least 590 SANE programs operating throughout the United States and its territories. Most programs are based in hospitals and others are located in community settings.
Learn about:
- Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner programs from the International Association of Forensic Nurses Exit Notice.
- Learn more about and multidisciplinary Sexual Assault Response Teams from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center Exit Notice.
Evaluating SANE Programs
NIJ supported the creation of a Practitioner Toolkit for Evaluating the Work of SANE Programs (pdf, 145 pages). The goal of this Toolkit is to assist SANE program staff in evaluating how their program affects the reporting, investigation and prosecution of sexual assault cases in their community. This Toolkit was developed as part of a large research study on the work of SANEs in the criminal justice system. [3] The lessons learned from that project helped inform the development of this Toolkit, but by no means are legal outcomes the only or best way to evaluate the success of SANE programs.
Notes
[1], [3] Impact Evaluation of a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) Program (pdf, 129 pages), December 2003.
[2] Systems Change Analysis of SANE Programs: Identifying the Mediating Mechanisms of Criminal Justice System Impact (pdf, 202 pages), January 2009
