MY BLOG:

I have always had an interest in criminal justice and the judicial system. I decided to research the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative in Utah and find out what the future was for Sexual Assault Kits for my story.

My sources included employees of Utah’s Department of Public Safety, state senators and local organizations who helped write the upcoming bills. They were the best sources for this story because they gave me a variety of information while being employed by different entities. I was able to gather information from each source about the new bill, the part they played in helping the victims and helping to get the bill passed. I did encounter ethical or moral dilemmas while trying to find other sources that could give me information from the victims side. The sources I did have weren’t able to give me names or information about victims because it went against their advocacy.

I made sense of the information gathered by researching the topics that my sources were speaking to even more on my own. I also listened to the interviews that I recorded multiple times so that I was sure I understood the points they were trying to get across.

I made a plan for my story, and organized my ideas more after each person I spoke to or each thing I learned. I learned that being organized and having really great, well-thought questions helped get the information I needed. I learned a lot about the national initiative SAKI, but wasn’t able to include every detail. I thought it was interesting to find out where each state was in their project and how long it took them to get through the backlog. I was very surprised at some of the facts about how kits were handled in the past, such as kits being thrown away because it seemed unsolvable.

I ended up enjoying learning about my topic more than I even thought I would. I saw many opportunities and avenues for volunteering as I spoke with the different government organizations.

ABOUT ME:

My name is Mallory Bell and I am a communication major at the University of Utah. I enjoy being able to show my creativity through painting, fashion, and writing. I grew up in Salt Lake City, and I was excited to quickly move to new places and learn new things. I moved to New York City, and returned home to complete my associates at Salt Lake Community College in fashion merchandising.

I love to constantly learn to be a better communicator in my personal and professional life. I also love to be with my family and friends, and especially in the outdoors. I love to hike, rock climb, ski and swim.