Cost Savings and Cost Effectiveness of the
Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit Task Force
Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit Pilot Research Project
The Begun Center for Violence Prevention Research and
Education
Authors: Mendel Singer, PhD, MPH1, Rachel Lovell, PhD, Daniel Flannery,
PhD

Key Findings
The following includes the cost savings and cost effectiveness of the Cuyahoga
County Sexual Assault Kit (SAK) Task Force. Our findings are based upon the
number of unsubmitted SAKs that had been tested as of January 1, 2016.
Estimates presented here are intended to serve as conservative estimates of the
cost savings or cost effectiveness of the testing of the unsubmitted SAKs.
Our key findings:







From the 4,347 SAKs tested as of January 1, 2016, we project a total of 1,290
indictments and 947 convictions, which represent 90.5% of all indicted,
non-dismissed cases and 21.8% of all tested SAKs—a rate much higher
than previously expected and higher than most other jurisdictions testing
their unsubmitted SAKs.
The total tangible and intangible costs to the victims associated with the
unsubmitted SAKs tested as of January 1, 2016 is $885.8 million dollars.
The total cost of testing and investigating the unsubmitted SAKs is estimated
to be $9.6 million dollars.
The total cost savings of future sexual assaults averted due to the SAK Task
Force as of January 1, 2016 is $48.2 million dollars.
The SAK Task Force is projected to produce a net savings of $38.7 million
dollars to the community. Each SAK tested produces a net savings to
the community of $8,893.

Effectiveness
Figure 1 details the Task Force processing of a SAK from testing to disposition, with
four main phases to this process: Testing, Investigation, Prosecution, and
Disposition. As a SAK proceeds through the process it (potentially) changes from a
1Associate Professor and Vice Chair for Education, Dept. of Epidemiology and Biostatistics,
School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.

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 SAK, to an investigation, to a prosecution, and to a final disposition. We base our
estimations of effectiveness on the numbers presented in this Figure.

Figure 1. Cuyahoga County’s Sexual Assault Kit Task Force Testing Process

Indictments
As of January 1, 2016, 1,366 investigations have been completed by the SAK Task
Force resulting in 526 indictments2. We project the rate of indictment will be
reduced for the remaining investigations as the Task Force will not likely be indicting
as many no CODIS hit and no DNA cases. We estimate a 1/3 rd reduction in the rate
of indictments, leading to a 50% increase in the number of investigations required
per indictment.
Based on current practices, we estimate:

2These numbers are derived from JusticeMatters and presented in the Cuyahoga County
Prosecutor’s Office Scorecard.

2

 

Current number of investigations per indictment: 2.6 (1,366 ÷ 526 = 2.6).



Projected number of investigations per indictment for remaining cases: 3.9
(1.5*2.6 = 3.9)



Total number of additional indictments from investigations that have not yet
been completed: 764 (a total of 2,981 SAKs have yet to have completed
investigations [4,347 – 1,366 = 2,981] as of January 1, 2016; 2,981 ÷ 3.9 =
764)



Total number of indictments from the 4,347 SAKs: 1,290 (526 + 764)

Convictions
Figure 2. Number of SAKs, Testing to Conviction as of January 1, 2016

SAKs Tested
4,347

Investigation
s Completed
1,366

Indictments
526

Completed
Cases
169

Convictions
124

As of January 1, 2016, 169 cases (of the 526 indictments) have been completed,
with 137 resulting in a guilty verdict, a not guilty verdict, or a plea (e.g., not
dismissed)—81.1% of all completed cases (137 ÷ 169 = 81.1%) (see Figure 2).
We expect a steady rate of non-dismissed cases for future SAKs.



Projected number of non-dismissed cases (e.g., guilty verdicts, not guilty
verdicts, and pleas) from the projected 1,290 indictments: 1046 (.811*1,290
= 1046)

We expect a steady rate of conviction from non-dismissed cases for future SAKs.



Current conviction rate for non-dismissed cases: 90.5% (124 ÷ 137) = 90.5%
[22 guilty verdicts, 102 pleas])3.



Projected number of convictions from the non-dismissed cases: 947
(.905*1,046 = 947)

A conservative estimate of the total percentage of SAKs that will result in
a conviction: 90.5% (947 ÷ 1,046) of all indicted, non-dismissed cases and
21.4% (947 ÷ 4,347) of all tested SAKs—rates much higher than previously

3An offender can be associated with more than one SAK, and there can be multiple
offenders in a single SAK.

3

 expected and higher than most jurisdictions that are testing,
investigating, and prosecuting their unsubmitted SAKs.

Costs Associated with the SAKs4
Below we detail costs for three aspects of the SAK process:




Cost prior to the testing and investigating of SAKs (e.g., costs to victim)
Cost of testing and investigating the SAKs (e.g., DNA testing, cost of
investigating)
If convicted, cost of future crimes averted (e.g., costs to victim)

Cost Prior to the Testing and Investigating of SAKs
The cost incurred prior to the testing and investigating of SAKs is primarily the cost
to the victim. This is slightly conservative, as it does not include the police cost in
the original handling of the case when the SAK was not tested.
Tangible and intangible costs of sexual assault provided below are based upon those
provided by McCollister, French, and Fang (2010) (see Figure 3).
Tangible Cost: Cost to the victim
Tangible costs include the direct cost of crime, including medical expenditures, cash
losses, property theft or damage, lost earnings due to injury, and other
victimization-related costs. Costs are based on survey-based research. The costs
do not factor in long-term reduced income from interrupted education and longterm mental health issues, such as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or increased rates
of substance abuse or suicide.
Total tangible cost of the sexual assault per victim: $5,556
Total cost for all SAKs tested as of January 1, 2016: $24,151,932
($5,556 per victim * 4,347 victims = $24,151,932).
Intangible Cost: Pain and Suffering
Intangible costs of sexual assault include indirect losses suffered by crime victims,
including pain and suffering, decreased quality of life, and psychological distress
and are based on jury awards. Cost of premature mortality is not included since
none of the victims in the untested SAK kits were killed in the attack.
Total intangible cost for the sexual assault per victim: $198,212
Total cost for all SAKs tested as of January 1, 2016: $861,627,564
($198,212 per victim * 4,347 victims = $861,627,564)

4These estimates ignore the cost of actual prosecution since this is part of society’s decision
that indictments should be prosecuted, and the convicted offender incarcerated. This is with
the knowledge that incarceration is expensive and the offender when incarcerated will not
be working, so there is some loss of productivity.

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 Total Cost: Tangible Cost + Intangible Cost
Total cost of the sexual assault per victim: $203,768 ($5,556 + $198,212)
Total cost for all SAKs tested of January 1, 2016: $885,779,496
($203,768 * 4,347 victims = $885,779,496).
Figure 3. Cost of Sexual Assault per Victim

$203,768

$198,212

$5,556

Cost of Testing and Investigating SAKs
Figure 4 details the cost of testing and investigating sexual assault per SAK.
Cost of the DNA Testing
The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigations (BCI) tested Cuyahoga County’s
unsubmitted SAKs. According to the BCI, the cost per DNA test:
Supplies:

$435 per SAK

Lab scientist:
$514.29 per SAK ($720,000 for 10 scientists per year,
approximately 1,400 SAKs tested per year, 720,000 ÷ 1,400 =
$514.29)
Total DNA testing cost: $949.29 per SAK ($514.29 + $435 = 949.29)
Cost of Investigating
The Task Force investigates all reports from the BCI on the SAKs. All SAKs will have
a DNA report from the BCI. According to the Task Force, the cost per investigation:
Cost of investigators: $882.80 per investigation (40 hours per investigation*
$22.07 per hour = $882.80)
Cost of victim advocates: $372.60 per investigation (20 hours per
investigation * $18.63/hour = $ 372.60)
Total cost per investigation: $1,255.40 per investigation ($882.80 +
$372.60 = $1,255.40)

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 Total Cost of Testing and Investigating the SAKs
Total cost for DNA testing and investigating: $2,204.69 ($949.29 + $1,255.40
= $2,204.69).
Total cost for DNA testing and investigating all SAKs tested as of
January 1, 2016: $9,583,787 ($2,204.69 per SAK * 4,347 SAKs =
$9,583,787).

Figure 4. Cost of Testing and Investigating Sexual Assault per SAK

$2,204.69

$372.60

$882.80

$514.29

$435.00

Figure 5 compares the cost to the victim to the cost of testing and investigating.
The cost to the victim is over 92 times higher than the cost of testing and
investigating the SAK.

Figure 5. Cost of Sexual Assault to the Victims compared to Cost of Testing
and Investigating a SAK

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 Total Cost to Victim

Total Cost of Testing and Investigating

885.8

9.6

Cost of Future Sexual Assaults Averted
Preliminary analysis of the SAK Task Force data suggests that
conservatively 25% of the offenders subsequently committed another
reported sexual assault–crimes that could have possibly been prevented if the
SAKs were tested at the time and led to conviction. This estimate is based upon
statistics collected by the Task Force on serial offenders, data collected as part of
the Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit Pilot Research Project (Lovell, Butcher &
Flannery, 2016) and data collected as part of Detroit’s unsubmitted SAKs (Campbell,
Fehler-Cabral, Pierce, Sharma, Bybee, Shaw, Horsford & Feeney, 2015).
Thus, we conservatively estimate that 25% all sexual offenders will commit a
subsequent sexual assault that is reported. The cost of future sexual assaults
averted per offender convicted are calculated based upon the 25% reported
reoffending and the cost to the victim. This estimate is very conservative,
considering that only about 1 in 3 cases of sexual assault are reported (Truman and
Langton 2015). Figure 6 depicts the tangible, intangible, and total cost averted.
Tangible cost averted per offender convicted: $1,389 (.25 * $5,556 = $1,389)
Intangible cost averted per offender convicted: $49,553 (.25 * $198,212 =
$49,553)
Total cost averted per offender convicted: $50,942 (.25 * $203,768 =
$50,942)
Figure 6. Cost of Future Sexual Assaults Averted per Offender Convicted

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 $50,942

$49,553

$1,389

Using the above projection of 947 convictions from the 4,347 SAKs tested as of
January 1, 2016:
Tangible cost of future sexual assaults averted due to SAK Task Force:
$1,315,383 (947 * $1,389 = $1,315,383)
Intangible cost of future sexual assaults averted due to SAK Task Force:
$46,926,691 (947 * $49,553 = $46,926,691)
Total cost of future sexual assaults averted due to SAK Task Force:
$48,242,074 (1,315,383 + $46,926,691)

Cost-Effectiveness of the SAK Task Force
We present the cost-effectiveness of the SAK Task Force in terms of the cost per
indictment and the cost per conviction (see Figure 7). As stated previously:
Total cost of the SAK Task Force: $9,583,787
Tangible cost of future sexual assaults averted due to SAK Task Force:
$1,315,383
Intangible cost of future crimes averted due to SAK Task Force: $46,926,691
Total cost of future crimes averted due to SAK Task Force: $48,242,074
Projected number of indictments: 1,290
Projected number of convictions: 947

Figure 7. Cost of Future Sexual Assaults Averted

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 $23,433,320

$22,794,380

$9,569,008

$638,940

Net Savings of the SAK Task Force
Figure 8 shows that net savings of the Task Force.
Total net tangible cost: $8,268,404 ($9,583,787 - $1,315,383 = $8,268,404)
Total net tangible cost per SAK: $1,902 ($8,268,404 ÷ 4,347 = 1,902)
Total net savings: $38,658,287 ($48,242,074 – $9,583,787 = $38,658,287)
Total net savings per SAK: $8,893 ($38,658,287 ÷ 4,347 = $8,893)
Thus, including both the tangible and intangible cost, each SAK tested and
investigated produces a cost savings to the community of $8,893.

Figure 8. Net Savings of the SAK Task Force

9

 48.2
38.6

1

2

3

-9.6

Discussion
In sum, the cost to the 4,347 sexual assault victims is $885.8 million dollars; the
total cost to test and investigate the SAKs is $9.6 million; the cost of future sexual
assaults averted due to the SAK Task Force is $48.2 million, and the Task Force has
brought a net savings to the community of $38.7 million.
The findings presented in this report have several important implications. First,
sexual assault is extremely financially costly to victims and to the community. In
fact, sexual assault is the second most expensive violent crime after murder
(McCollister, French & Fang, 2010).
Second, the cost to test and investigate the SAKs is significantly smaller than all
other associated costs presented in this report. In fact, the Task Force is
conservatively estimated to produce a net savings of $38.7 million — accounting for
the cost of testing and investigating the SAKs and the savings associated with cost
of averting future sexual assaults. This results in a cost savings of $8,893 for each
SAK that is testing and investigated.
Given the estimate that 25% of offenders will commit a subsequent sexual assault
that is reported (not even accounting for the fact that 2/3 of cases go unreported)
and how costly sexual assaults are to victims and the community, these findings
highlight just how important it is to test, investigate, and prosecute all SAKs.
Sexual assault is a crime that is underreported, under-investigated, underprosecuted, and just generally under-prioritized. These findings provide further
evidence of the cost the victims and the community have suffered because of the
under-prioritization.

References
Campbell, R., G. Fehler-Cabral, S. Pierce, D. Sharma, D. Bybee, J. Shaw, S. Hornsford,
and H. Feeney. (2015). The Detroit sexual assault kit (SAK) action research

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 project: final report. https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/248680.pdf.
Last retrieved June 20, 2016.
Truman, J.L., F. Langton. (2015). Department of Justice. Office of Justice Programs,
Bureau of Justice Statistics. Criminal Victimization, 2014.
http://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/cv14.pdf. Last retrieved June 20, 2016.
Lovell, R., F. Butcher, and D. Flannery. (2016). Cuyahoga County sexual assault kit
(SAK) pilot project: report on serial and one-time serial offenders.
http://begun.case.edu/begun-center-selected-assist-cuyahoga-county-sexualassault-kits. Last retrieved June 20, 2016.
McCollister, K., M. French, and H. Fang. (2010). The cost of crime to society: new
crime-specific estimates for policy and program evaluation. Drug Alcohol
Dependence, 108:98-109. doi:10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2009.12.002.

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