When someone goes to a hospital in Illinois and says that he or she has been raped in the last several days, the patient will be offered a sexual assault examination, commonly called a rape kit. A specially trained nurse known as a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) may be called in to help collect evidence while another nurse takes care of the patient’s medical needs. This evidence may or may not be turned over to law enforcement, depending on whether the patient is willing to talk to the police and press charges. If someone has accused you of sexual assault, learning that he or she had a rape kit done can make you feel nervous. However, even if the rape kit shows that you undoubtedly had sexual contact with the alleged victim, this is not enough to prove that you are guilty of rape. The state will also have to prove that the sexual contact was nonconsensual.
