testing for date rape drugs part of rape kit??

April 16, 2006 5:11 PM

I was wondering about rape kits used to collect bodily evidence after...

a rape. Do they screen blood of the victim for date rape drugs???
There is suspiscion that the alleged victim of the Duke lacrosse rape may have been under the influence of drugs slipped to her by someone on the team.
I would think this would be covered in the date rape kit, but don't know for sure....

posted by TheLibrarian to law & government (4 comments total)

Wikipedia says this is what is in a rape kit, so it would seem that the answer is "no" though blood collection is done to check for STDs and pregnancy. There is no such thing as a "date rape kit" it's one and the same thing. If you ask for your blood to be tested for the presence of rohypnol and the like, they will do it, generally. The larger issue with rape kits is the fact that unless there is a high profile case like this one, the evidence is collected and then sits on a shelf somewhere because there isn't enough money to process and extract the DNA from it.
posted by jessamyn at 5:40 PM on April 16, 2006

wow...did not think to look there...it would have also helped if I had thought of the other words...I felt a bit odd googling rape kit and the first few sites were for people who have been raped.
I am woefully behind on writing a paper....easily distracted....looking for distractions....
anyway, thanks, I saw your website and if I am a tenth of the librarian you are one day....well,I would be pretty awesome...that is if I get through with this paper....
Thanks Jessamyn!
posted by TheLibrarian at 5:58 PM on April 16, 2006

It would be surprising if the ED did not draw a full toxicology screen for drugs of abuse as well as rohypnol.
posted by docpops at 8:11 PM on April 16, 2006

I would imagine so since she was reportedly "intoxicated". I would think they would want to verify what she was under the influence of exactly.
I hope they can get to the bottom of this!
posted by TheLibrarian at 8:31 PM on April 16, 2006