One of the biggest issues in sexual assault cases has been the delays and misplacements of rape kits, often necessary to make a convictions.
This can be taxing and frustrating for both victims and investigators.
Now, California officials have announced a new way for sexual assault survivors to track the progress of their rape kit and linking it with DNA evidence, according to Rochester First.
Another new move is the sexual assault evidence outreach coordinator the state hired. Sarai Crain will work with investigators, medical facilities, and other necessary places to track and process the rape kits as evidence.
How this process was created
The online tracking system was created in response to a law that required it.
In 2017 a law was passed that would require law enforcement agencies to submit their evidence for testing within 20 days. Crime labs had to test the evidence within 120 days or provide a reason for why they couldn’t.
This law will help end the backlog that currently exists for rape kits at local agencies.
It will also help get the kits tested quickly and inform survivors on what they’re dealing with.
In 2020 there were around 6,400 rape kits collected, and 90% were analyzed by May of 2021. The rest were in the process of being analyzed. Half of the tests found DNA that was compared to other DNA on the FBI’s database. Around 800 tests found matches with offenders in the database.
All information that updated survivors is for data collected from Jan. 1, 2018 through present day.
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Samantha is a reporter covering women’s issues across the U.S. and world. Have a tip? Send it to sam@fingerlakes1.com.