South Dakota Codified Laws 23-5C-2. Report of rape or sexual assault–Option of reporting–Requirement of reporting prohibited–Minor’s consent–No impact on mandatory reporting–Release of sexual assault kit–Preservation of sexual assault kit
A health care facility examining or treating a victim of rape or sexual assault shall give the victim, or a victim or witness assistant, the option of reporting the rape or sexual assault to an appropriate law enforcement agency. A health care facility may not require the victim to report the rape or sexual assault in order to receive an examination or treatment for the rape or sexual assault.
A minor age sixteen or older may consent to a sexual assault kit. This consent is not subject to disaffirmance because of minority or disaffirmance of a parent or guardian, and consent of a parent or guardian is not required under this section. A minor’s refusal to consent has no impact on any applicable mandatory reporting obligation in law.
Terms Used In South Dakota Codified Laws 23-5C-2
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
- Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
- Obligation: An order placed, contract awarded, service received, or similar transaction during a given period that will require payments during the same or a future period.
A health care facility that examines or treats a victim of rape or sexual assault with a sexual assault kit shall release the sexual assault kit to the investigating law enforcement agency, if known, or the law enforcement agency of the jurisdiction where the examination or treatment occurs in accordance with § 23-5C-3. The health care facility shall inform the victim that the sexual assault kit will be preserved by law enforcement for a period of at least seven years from the date of the examination or treatment or until the victim reaches the age of twenty-five, whichever is later, before it is destroyed. Any examination or treatment under this section shall include the preservation of confidentiality of any test, procedure, or sample that may serve as evidence in the prosecution for the rape or sexual assault.
Source: SL 2016, ch 130, § 2; SL 2019, ch 112, § 1; SL 2020, ch 92, § 1; SL 2022, ch 68, § 1.