Original Release Date: February 18, 2022
In episode seven of our Perspectives on At-Home Sexual Assault Kits season, Just Science sat down with Patti Powers, an attorney advisor at AEquitas and a former senior deputy prosecuting attorney in Washington state, to discuss at-home sexual assault kits from a prosecutorial point of view.
For many survivors of sexual violence, engaging in prosecution can be an important step in their healing process. As a former prosecutor and nationally recognized leader addressing sexual assault cases, Patti Powers has addressed sexual violence both in and out of the courtroom for more than 30 years. Listen along as she discusses the process of prosecuting sexual assault cases and the impact of at-home sexual assault kits on case resolutions in this episode of Just Science.
This episode of Just Science is funded by the National Institute of Justice’s Forensic Technology Center of Excellence [Award 2016-MU-BX-K110].
Some content in this podcast may be considered sensitive and may evoke emotional responses, or may not be appropriate for younger audiences.
View or download the episode transcript here:
Transcript
Guest Biography
Patricia (Patti) Powers joined AEquitas as an attorney advisor after serving as a senior deputy prosecuting attorney in Washington State for 27 years. During her tenure as a prosecutor, she supervised the Sexual Assault—Domestic Violence Unit. She successfully prosecuted and tried a high volume of violent crimes—specializing in adult sexual assault; child sexual assault and abuse; sexual exploitation of minors; domestic violence; and related homicides—which included complex litigation of high-profile, as well as cold and current cases. Ms. Powers served as a member of domestic violence and child fatality review committees and was also a member of the Washington State Technical Assistance Committee for Child Death Review Guidelines. For five years during her prosecution career, she was appointed as a Highly Qualified Expert for the United States Army, Criminal Investigation Division; in this role, she provided training for army criminal investigation agents and prosecutors at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and in Germany. She is the lead AEquitas attorney advisor on the SAKI project.
The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this podcast episode are those of the presenter(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the U.S. Department of Justice.
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