Virginia Code 19.2-11.5: (Effective until July 1, 2025) Definitions
As used in this chapter, unless the context requires a different meaning:
Terms Used In Virginia Code 19.2-11.5
- Department: means the Virginia Department of Forensic Science. See Virginia Code 19.2-11.5
- Division: means the Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services of the Virginia Department of General Services. See Virginia Code 19.2-11.5
- 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.
- Includes: means includes, but not limited to. See Virginia Code 1-218
- Law-enforcement agency: means the state or local law-enforcement agency with the primary responsibility for investigating an alleged sexual assault offense case and includes the employees of that agency. See Virginia Code 19.2-11.5
- Physical evidence recovery kit: means any evidence collection kit supplied by the Department to health care providers for use in collecting evidence from victims of sexual assault during forensic medical examinations or to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for use during death investigations to collect evidence from decedents who may be victims of sexual assault. See Virginia Code 19.2-11.5
- Sexual assault offense: means a violation or attempted violation of any offense enumerated in Article 7 (§ 18. See Virginia Code 19.2-11.5
- State: when applied to a part of the United States, includes any of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the United States Virgin Islands. See Virginia Code 1-245
- Victim of sexual assault: means any person who undergoes a forensic medical examination for the collection of a physical evidence recovery kit connected to a sexual assault offense. See Virginia Code 19.2-11.5
“Anonymous physical evidence recovery kit” means a physical evidence recovery kit that is collected from a victim of sexual assault through a forensic medical examination where the victim elects, at the time of the examination, not to report the sexual assault offense to a law-enforcement agency.
“Department” means the Virginia Department of Forensic Science.
“Division” means the Division of Consolidated Laboratory Services of the Virginia Department of General Services.
“Health care provider” means any hospital, clinic, or other medical facility that provides forensic medical examinations to victims of sexual assault.
“Law-enforcement agency” means the state or local law-enforcement agency with the primary responsibility for investigating an alleged sexual assault offense case and includes the employees of that agency.
“Physical evidence recovery kit” means any evidence collection kit supplied by the Department to health care providers for use in collecting evidence from victims of sexual assault during forensic medical examinations or to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for use during death investigations to collect evidence from decedents who may be victims of sexual assault.
“Sexual assault offense” means a violation or attempted violation of any offense enumerated in Article 7 (§ 18.2-61 et seq.) of Chapter 4 of Title 18.2 or of any offense specified in § 18.2-361, 18.2-370, or 18.2-370.1.
“Victim of sexual assault” means any person who undergoes a forensic medical examination for the collection of a physical evidence recovery kit connected to a sexual assault offense.