How Rape Kits Became Part Of Investigating Sexual Assaults

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Five Questions with Elizabeth Mitchell Elder, author of “Company Towns”

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A Conversation on Writing, Craft, and Poetry

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Read an Excerpt from “Atlas’s Bones” by D. Vance Smith

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Five Questions for Joshua B. Freeman, Author of “Garden Apartments”

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Five Questions with Cynthia Cruz, poet and author of “Sweet Repetition”

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Read an Excerpt from “The Adaptability Paradox” by Stephen Skowronek

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From the Archives and Spotlight Collections from Chicago Journals

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In 2023, the University of Chicago Press Journals Division launched a new online feature called “From the Archives” to bring new readership to less recent and archival scholarship. Each month, our team works to choose a different topic, and articles are selected for inclusion on the page via keyword search.

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Decades ago a woman forced the police department to treat sexual assault as a crime. While in Chicago, she also came up with the rape kit that is commonly used today in investigations. Her name has not been attached to the invention until now. Host: Mary Dixon Reporter: Natalie Moore