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SANE Program Development and Operation Guide: The Role of SANE Programs TRANSCRIPT

JOYE E. FROST, DIRECTOR, OFFICE FOR VICTIMS OF CRIME, OFFICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS, U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE: SANE programs ensure, or help to ensure, that the community understands what sexual assault is and isn't. There's still way too much victim-blaming, so in addition to doing medical forensic exams, SANEs play an important role in educating the community about sexual victimization. They also play, I think, an integral role in SARTs, Sexual Assault Response Teams—that multidisciplinary response where law enforcement, prosecutors, victim advocates, medical personnel, nursing personnel, crime lab people, are working together, make sure that a victim doesn't fall through the cracks. It's really a comprehensive, seamless continuum of care.