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1981 NOVA Newsl. 1 (1981)

handle is hein.journals/novan1981 and id is 1 raw text is: VOLUME 4, NO. __ N\A TIONAL ORGANIZA TION FOR VICTIM ASSISTANCE 918~ ~~S 16hS~e ite 503 WashytonU C 00 Off~c~ Of TI'~e P~e 8565 S W Sahsh W~Isonv e OR 9707( SPECIAL ISSUES IN SEXUAL ASSAULT PROSECUTION illiam Heiman, Esq. Assistant District Attorney Chief, Rape Unit Philadelphia, PA At the recent mid-winter con- ference of the National District Attorney's Association in Las Vegas, Nevada, I addressed the group of pros- ecutors and discussed special problems in the prosecution of sexual assault cases. The three themes which high- lighted my presentation were first, as prosecutors, maintaining personal attitudes and employing procedures which result in a high level of sen- sitivity in dealing with the victiml and her family throughout the court procedures; second, thinking of the trial as an interconnected weave of a fabric, consisting of different colors and threads all woven together into one complete package; and third, util- izing certain pretrial and trial strategies and tactics which will make the prosecutor's presentation more effective and hopefully, result in a higher conviction rate. I present here a summary of my remarks, focusing on the issues directly related to the victim. I. POLICY CONSIDERATIONS A. The proper role of the prose- cutor. Without question, the office of the District Attorney, the public prosecutor, is one of the most power- ful in all of government. The Dis- trict Attorney is authorized by law to exercise discretion in determining who shall be prosecuted and what criminal laws will be enforced. The District Attorney must exercise his or her (continued on next page) RAPE TRAUMA SYNDROME DEVELOPMENTAL VARIATIONS E. Amanat, M.D. Medical Director Child Center, Our Lady of Grace St. Louis, MO Abstract: Three distinctly dif- ferent patterns of response to Rape Trauma have been observed in a pop- ulation of 54 victims. These patterns relate to the victim's psychological development and certain temperamental characteristics. Review of Literature: Ann Burgess and Linda Holmstrom in a paper entitled Rape Trauma Syndrome (Amer- ican Journal of Psychiatry, September, 1974) interviewed and followed 146 pat ients admitted during a one-year period to the emergency ward of a city hospital with the presenting complaint of having been raped. Analysis of the reactions of 92 adult women rape victims in this group pointed to the existence of a rape trauma syndrome as a clinical entity. The syndrome's symptomatology as well as two varia- tions (compounded and silent reac- tions) were reported. The authors alerted climicians to the possibility of rape even when the patient never mentioned such an attack. Later on the same authors (American Journal of Nursing, August, 1975) described a system of diagnosis and classifica- tion, using intensive analysis of the interview materials, medical records, and follow-up sessions. Their description of rape trauma syndrome had an acute phase with many phys- ical and emotional symptoms and a long term reorganization process which included changes in life style, etc. Correlation of diagnosis and symptoms, (continued on page 5) NEWSLETTER n - r 1 191

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