Case File Review Template 
 
Adapted from text provided by Women’s Law Policy Brief February, 2013 www.womenslawproject.com. 
 
Are We Making a Difference? Sexual Assault Response Teams Assessing Systems Change: A Resource for Multidisciplinary Team Leadership (p. 50) by Emily Goff, Sharon Haas, Laura Pejsa, and Jessica Jerney, 2015. Retrieved from 

 This tool is intended to provide a consistent set of criteria for review of existing case files.  
Elements of the Investigation  
  
  
 
 
 Yes/No  
 Comments  
 
Were all witnesses interviewed that had been identified?  
  
  
 
Were the interviews conducted in a proper manner, i.e., not questioning truth of victim statements, interrogating, blaming, or threatening victim?  
   
  
 
If there was a recantation, was it coerced? Were there circumstances that suggested the recantation resulted from fear of reprisal from the perpetrator and not because the assault did not occur?  
  
  
 
Were photos taken and the scene processed?  
  
  
 
Was the evidence collection thorough?  
   
  
 
Was physical evidence tested and the results returned to the investigator?  
  
  
 
Outcomes of the Investigation  
  
  
 
Was the case properly coded as a crime?  
  
  
 
Was the case coded correctly?  
  
  
 
If the investigation supported an arrest, was it made?  
  
  
 
If a case was unfounded, was it proper to do so? Did the investigation find that no crime had occurred?  
   
  
 
Did a supervisor review and approve each decision to unfound a case?  
   
  
 
If a case was exceptionally cleared was the exceptional clearance proper? In other words, was an arrest warranted by the evidence and the perpetrator identified and at a known location but some reason outside of law enforcement prevented the arrest from being made?  
  
  
 


http://resources.svji.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/SVJI-evaluation-resource-for-Web-10.19.16.pdf Reprinted with permission