Knowlton connects her patients with the Norfolk Family Justice Center and the YWCA of South Hampton Roads, local organizations that offer counseling services, domestic violence shelters, hospital accompaniment and assistance obtaining protective orders. As they move through the healing process, utilizing victim resources, they become ‘survivors,’” Knowlton said. “The criminal justice system calls them ‘victims,’ but when they are in my exam room, they are my patient. Another important component of Knowlton’s work with Chesapeake Forensics is providing sexual assault victims with resources to aide in the healing process. If a patient decides to forego filing a police report and evidence collection, the patient will be referred to a hospital or their primary care physician for medical testing to check for pregnancy and STDs. How long the kit can be stored depends on the biological evidence collected. The kit is instead stored in a special part of the crime lab, which will maintain the integrity of the evidence. The kit will not be tested unless the patient chooses to pursue charges against their assailant. The second option does not involve police at all. The evidence is then taken to a crime lab to be analyzed. If a police report is filed, Knowlton’s team collects evidence to turn over to law enforcement. “Meeting that patient and giving them the opportunity to take back control and decide what happens next is huge.”Īfter someone has been sexually assaulted, Knowlton said they have three options: to file a police report, to have evidence collected but not to file a police report, or forego filing a report and evidence collection entirely. “Whatever happened to them - control was taken away from them,” Knowlton said. Sexual assault, she said, is a “unique” and “personal experience” but all cases have one common denominator: lack of control. Were they hit in the head? Do they have a broken nose?” Knowlton said, adding that she is also trained to recognize the signs of strangulation, which can have long-term effects. “Beyond a sexual assault, we look at if there was a physical assault. During the exam, Knowlton will also identify signs of physical injuries that may require hospital treatment. Evidence can be collected by taking swabs of the patient’s skin, genitalia and mouth, scraping under the person’s fingernails and combing through the person’s hair.
Evidence from the kits can be turned over to law enforcement and used in a criminal case if a person chooses to file a police report.Īs part of an exam, Knowlton talks with patients to find out what happened, using that information to guide the process of the exam.
#OLD MEN GAY RAPE PORN CUM IN MOUTH SKIN#
“I just approach every exam with, ‘I am going to do the best that I can.’” Regaining control after sexual assaultĪs a sexual assault nurse examiner, Knowlton uses physical evidence recovery kits to collect biological evidence such as saliva, blood, semen, urine, skin cells and hair from victims. But we can’t fix everything,” Knowlton said. “We are first and foremost nurses, and in nursing in general, we care. Knowlton said that while the individuals she examines are victims, “as a nurse, they are my patient.” It affects all walks of life, all ages, race, creed, financial status,” Knowlton said. “In sexual assault there are no boundaries.
Since then she has examined thousands of sexual assault victims across Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore.ĭuring the month of April, Knowlton said her team conducted nearly 40 sexual assault exams.
In 2012, she took over Chesapeake Forensics, a 24-hour forensic exam service for victims of sexual assault. Knowlton has been a nurse for more than 30 years and a forensic nurse for around 12 years.