The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "sexual assault victims" ...
-
Assault victim's tweets prompt contempt case
For 17-year-old Savannah Dietrich, it was like being victimized twice – first by the two boys who sexually assaulted her while she was passed out and then sent photos of the assault to their friends; secondly, by a secretive juvenile justice system that appeared more interested in protecting her attackers than her. Frustrated by what she felt was a lenient plea bargain for her two attackers, Savannah lashed out on Twitter – despite a judge’s warning that no one should talk about the incident because the case was in juvenile court. "There you go, lock me up," Savannah tweeted, as she named the boys who she said sexually assaulted her. "I'm not protecting anyone that made my life a living Hell." Though threatened with contempt of court, Savannah refusal to stay quiet, and her decision to talk publicly to Courier-Journal reporter Jason Riley resulted in a series of stories that drew national attention and helped pry the lid off Kentucky’s secretive juvenile courts – potentially opening more cases in the future to ensure justice is done.
Tags: Sexual assults; juvenile justice system; juvenile court; Twitter
-
Broken Shield
Decades ago, California created a special police force to patrol exclusively at its five state developmental centers – taxpayer-funded institutions where patients with severe autism and cerebral palsy have been beaten, tortured and raped by staff members. But California Watch found that this state force, the Office of Protective Services, does an abysmal job bringing perpetrators to justice. Reporter Ryan Gabrielson, a Pulitzer Prize winner, exposed the depths of the abuse inside these developmental centers while showing how sworn officers and detectives wait too long to start investigations, fail to collect evidence and ignore key witnesses – leading to an alarming inability to solve crimes inflicted upon some of society’s most vulnerable citizens. Dozens of women were sexually assaulted inside state centers, but police investigators didn’t order “rape kits” to collect evidence, a standard law enforcement tool. Police waited so long to investigate one sexual assault that the staff janitor accused of rape fled the country, leaving behind a pregnant patient incapable of caring for a child. The police force’s inaction also allowed abusive caregivers to continue molesting patients – even after the department had evidence that could have stopped future assaults. Many of the victims chronicled by California Watch are so disabled they cannot utter a word. Gabrielson gave them a resounding voice. Our Broken Shield series prompted far-reaching change, including a criminal investigation, staff retraining and new laws – all intended to bring greater safeguards and accountability.
Tags: California; police; autism; cerebral palsy; abuse; children
-
Spousal Support
In November 2011, the KGTV 10News I-Team revealed a questionable legal loophole that forced sexual assault victims to pay support to their attackers. Within five weeks of our initial reporting, lawmakers took action, drafting legislation and pushing for a change. Our series features Crystal Harris, who was sexually assaulted by her ex-husband. While he sits in prison for the crime, a state judge has ordered Crystal to pay spousal support. Crystal Harris earns more money than her ex-husband.
Tags: broadcast; spousal support; sexual assault
-
Abuse of the Badge?
A Sheriff's Deputy has long been accused of sexual assault, coercion, manipulation and extortion but there was never enough evidence to back up the claims. This series compiles months of background investigation, interviews with other members of law enforcement and testimony from multiple alleged victims.
Tags: sexual assault; extortion; police; coercion; Alabama Bureau of Investigation; badge
-
Sexual Assault on Campus: A Frustrating Search for Justice
As part of a collaborative effort with the Investigative News Network, the Center for Public Integrity finds that students responsible for sexual assault on college campuses often receive no punishment, yet their victims' lives are turned upside down. Even when the perpetrator is a repeat offender, college judicial systems rarely expel the student.
Tags: sexual assault; rape; victim; perpetrator; sex crime; rapist; rape victim; rape on campus; rape in college
-
Campus Sexual Assault: A Culture of Indifference
The stories explored the "culture of indifference" that many college women report experiencing after being sexually assaulted. Many schools across the country are in denial about the scope of the problem and the systems in place for women to report assaults are often barely existent at many campuses. Victims in the story tell their stories and explain how their school's handling of their assault cases only made things worse.
Tags: sexual assault; culture of indifference; rape; date rape; rapist; college; university
-
Untested Justice
WREG uncovered that sexual assault victims in Memphis weren't being properly handled within the system. A failure to process rape kits made it more difficult to bring the victims' attackers to justice. Their investigation found as few at 6% of the rape kits were being processed. Since the story ran, sweeping changes were announced by the City of Memphis and over 2000 backlogged rape kits have been processed as a result.
Tags: sexual assault; criminal justice system; rape; rape kits; sexual abuse; police; courts; crime; sex offenders
-
The Second Rape
This is the story about two young rape victims in athe small town of Bjasta in the norther part of Sweden. Although the rapist was convicted, people in the town began to blame the victims. Despite DNA-evidence, almost everyone thinks that the girls are lying.
Tags: rape; criminal conviction; sexual assault
-
Sexual Assault on Campus: A Frustrating Search for Justice
Roughly one in five college women will become the victim of a rape or an attempted rape before she graduates. The Center for Public Integrity's investigation reveals that the students "responsible" for these sexual assaults on college campuses often face little or no punishment, while the lives of the victims are turned upside down. Rarely are those who are responsible expelled, even those who are repeat offenders.
Tags: rape; sexual assault; victim; attempted rape; Department of Justice; college
-
Failure of Justice
The failed investigation of a police imposter who sexually assaulted at least 15 Apache teenagers serves as a window into the breakdown of law enforcement in Indian country. Native Americans suffer from disproportionate crime rates - especially sexual assaults - largely because of a dysfunctional criminal justice system. In this case, two men were falsely arrested and jailed; the real criminal got away and victims saw no justice. The government's own records, obtained through a federal lawsuit, demonstrate that the problem is systemic - a result of overlapping jurisdictions, mismanagement, lack of funding inadequate training and multiple other flaws.
Tags: Law Enforcement; Native American; Justice; Jurisdiction; Sexual Assault; Rape; Police; Imposter; Apache; Whiteriver; Indian Reservation