Louisiana’s yearslong struggle to properly respond to the victims of alleged sexual assaults has been well documented. Whether it’s a lack of personnel to perform exams, a backlog in handling of rape kits, or struggles pursuing criminal charges, the problems have been persistent and intractable.
And even with recent efforts to address some of the issues, a new report by the Louisiana Legislative Auditor notes that plenty of work remains to be done.
The audit identified major gaps in the efforts to respond to sexual assaults. Among the findings: The various agencies, which include law enforcement, advocacy groups and healthcare providers, often don’t coordinate on their response; some regions of the state do not have response plans that meet the requirements of state law and, even when they do, some are in need of significant improvement; some of those plans have not been approved by coroners, as they are required to be; at least four parishes do not have an accredited sexual assault advocacy center; and many victims do not have access to Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners, or SANEs.
One advocate told this newspaper’s Meghan Friedmann that the state’s biggest problem boils down to inconsistency of services and response. “Everything is siloed,” said Morgan Lamandre, CEO of Sexual Trauma Awareness & Response.
The report comes as some legislators in recent years have taken steps to tackle the problem. Three years ago, Sen. Beth Mizell, R-Franklinton, authored a bill that created a system to track rape kits in the process of analysis.
This year, a bill authored by Rep. Annie Spell, R-Lafayette, sought to centralize and strengthen oversight of the statewide response to sex crimes.
Spell’s bill, which was signed into law by Gov. Jeff Landry, creates a new position in the attorney general’s office tasked with getting a statewide picture of the responses. The person will also help direct resources to areas where it is lacking, Spell said. The law also creates a mobile SANE team, requires regional health officials to submit annual reports on the response and sets up a panel to create statewide standards.
We believe all of these measures are positive. We also agree with Lamandre that the new rules need to include accountability for the officials responsible.
“We need more teeth behind things,” Lamandre said. “We need consequences.”
The auditor’s report also noted some needed additional steps, including finding consistent funding for advocacy centers and improved oversight.
All of these seem like good ideas to us. For years, the old system has too frequently failed the very people it was supposed to help. Louisiana is a law-and-order state; the rights and protection of sex crime victims should be at the top of the priority list.
