Forensic Experiential Trauma Interview: (FETI): The Star Tribune reports that a 'Bipartisan 'Abby Honold Act' would reform training for sex assault investigators."..."Honold pushed the bill because of her own experience after she was raped in November 2014. She said the police investigator assigned to the case treated her poorly. She had difficulty remembering details of the rape, completely answering questions or remembered moments of the assault out of order, providing incomplete information during her interview. It took a trauma-trained examination nurse for Honold to provide a clearer description of the rape, she said. The nurse asked her what she smelled and tasted, allowed Honold to talk uninterrupted, and assured her that not remembering the rape in chronological order was normal. “A lot of important details did not come back to me until she asked those questions,” Honold said. “I was lucky enough to encounter a nurse that had been trained. I don’t know if my rapist would be in prison if I hadn’t met her. Minneapolis police initially dropped the case. It wasn’t until an investigator from another agency took up the case that the rapist, Daniel Drill-Mellum, was charged and ultimately convicted. The Abby Honold Act would provide training to assault investigators that would teach them to interview rape survivors similar to the way Honold’s nurse interviewed her."

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: In a previous post (link below) I drew attention to a supposedly effective forensic tool for use in  interviewing sexual assault complainants  which is called Forensic Experiential Trauma Interview (FETI): As indicated in the headnote to the post: "A matter of growing concern. Report obtained by this Blog indicates 'FETI' has been rejected by the U.S. Air Force..."Given the lack of empirical evidence on FETI’s effectiveness, and the large number of investigative, professional and scientific concerns regarding FETI and FETI training, the Air Force does not consider FETI as a viable option for investigative interviewing. We believe it would be inappropriate and irresponsible to discontinue the use of a robust, well-studied, effective, and empirically-validated interviewing method that is supported by the latest scientific research (the Cognitive Interview), in favor of an interviewing method that is loosely constructed, is based on flawed science, makes unfounded claims about its effectiveness, and has never once been tested, studied, researched or validated (FETI)."  The failure of police to lay rape charges  has become a political and social issue in North  America and beyond. I  am concerned, that a knee-jerk reaction based insufficient scientific research such as FETI can lead to an even greater failure of sexual assault charges - and to an epidemic of wrongful convictions. For this reason, I continue to follow  Forensic Experiential Trauma Interviews - scientific, political and legal developments, in the pages of this Blog.

Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;

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Read the Air Force Report at the link below:

https://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2017/12/forensic-experiential-trauma-interview_10.html

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STORY: "Bipartisan 'Abby Honold Act' would reform training for sex assault investigators, by reporter Brandon Stahl, published by The Star Tribune on December 21, 2107.

SUB-HEADING: "Bill would create a training program for better police interviews of rape survivors."

GIST: One month after she distanced herself from Sen. Al Franken in the wake of misconduct allegations, sexual assault survivor Abby Honold has teamed with Minnesota lawmakers in a bipartisan effort to reform training for investigators. Worried that the sexual harassment allegations against Franken would torpedo the bill, Honold asked Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar to take on the legislation, a move that drew some criticism from Franken’s supporters. On Wednesday, Klobuchar announced she was partnering with GOP Rep. Tom Emmer to name a bipartisan bill after Honold. Franken is scheduled to resign Jan. 2. If passed, the “Abby Honold Act” would create a two-year test program that would see better training for investigators when they interview sexual assault victims in hopes of making it more likely that rapists face criminal charges. Honold pushed the bill because of her own experience after she was raped in November 2014. She said the police investigator assigned to the case treated her poorly. She had difficulty remembering details of the rape, completely answering questions or remembered moments of the assault out of order, providing incomplete information during her interview. It took a trauma-trained examination nurse for Honold to provide a clearer description of the rape, she said. The nurse asked her what she smelled and tasted, allowed Honold to talk uninterrupted, and assured her that not remembering the rape in chronological order was normal. “A lot of important details did not come back to me until she asked those questions,” Honold said. “I was lucky enough to encounter a nurse that had been trained. I don’t know if my rapist would be in prison if I hadn’t met her.” Minneapolis police initially dropped the case. It wasn’t until an investigator from another agency took up the case that the rapist, Daniel Drill-Mellum, was charged and ultimately convicted. The Abby Honold Act would provide training to assault investigators that would teach them to interview rape survivors similar to the way Honold’s nurse interviewed her. “I want to make sure people have better experiences when reporting sexual assaults in the future,” Honold said. In announcing the legislation, Klobuchar and Emmer praised Honold for working on behalf of rape victims. “I’m in awe of Abby’s ability to turn an incredibly horrific experience into something that could help other survivors,” Klobuchar said in a statement. Added Emmer: “For Abby, and for the thousands of victims who experience trauma, this is a key part of their recovery process, as is a compassionate response in the immediate aftermath.”"

The entire story can be found at:

http://www.startribune.com/klobuchar-emmer-introduce-bipartisan-abby-honold-act/465762083/
 
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy; Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.