TAKE ACTION! No sexual assault survivor should be arrested when seeking medical aid. Call your state senator and tell them to support House Bill 92! Click here to find their info.
Allows a Court Summons to be Issued instead of an Arrest for Survivors Seeking Emergency Care as a Result of Sexual Assault (2nd Consideration in the Senate)
Presently, if a victim seeks medical aid or a forensic exam in the aftermath of an assault and reports the assault to law enforcement, police can take the survivor into custody immediately following treatment if a warrant has been issued for their arrest. Following a sexual assault, survivors can experience a range of emotions and responses, including anxiety, disassociation and confusion. Arresting and jailing these individuals intensifies these harmful responses and deters survivors from seeking help.
Removing the threat of arrest will eliminate one of many barriers to survivors reporting their assaults, particularly for over policed communities. Fear of arrest discourages survivors from seeking justice and holding perpetrators accountable if survivors wish to pursue the legal system. In turn, that allows perpetrators of sexual assault to evade legal consequences for their crimes. To compassionately respond to survivors, we must end the practice of arresting survivors upon reporting to police and instead require officers to issue notices to appear in court.
For more information about this and other policy positions, contact Sarah Layden, Director of Programs and Public Policy, at slayden@ourresilience.org.