SVU Episode

Here is a Law and Order: Special Victims Unit episode that involves untest rape kits.  It also show the extensive work that goes into creating a rape kit and how not testing a rape kit can affect a case.  I found this episode to be quite enlightening. I hope you enjoy it.

Responses

I am going to address everyone's questions from my first two posts here.

To URB:  In cities like LA there are multiple rapes that occur each day. So, within a month or so there could be over 150 kits that need to be tested.  And it could cost between $250 and $1500 to test a kit.  And law enforcement officials have claimed to wait up to a year, and sometimes even two years, before getting the results. Now if you take the cost of doing a testing a rape kit and paying the technicians and forensic analysts it can probably cost about $3000 to test one rape kits; and if you get 3 rapes a day that is $9000 dollars.

To Fighting for Immigration Reform:  In some cases, a rape kit will not be tested because the police and district attorneys do not believe that it is a case that can be prosecuted and won.  And in other cases, the police and DA do not actually believe a crime has been committed.  As to who does the procedure, it can be performed by different people depending on the circumstances.  I won't be talking about this much, but if the victim was raped and murdered then the medical examiner's office will most likely perform the test.  If the victim is still alive, there are two options: a rape crisis center, which only handles rape victims, or a hospital.  A rape crisis center is a place where a victim can go for treatment without having to involve the police.  Generally, if a victim goes to the police then they are taken to the hospital for the test.  And if the victim goes to the hospital then, in most cases, the police are called in.  After the procedure has been collected and sent to the police station then it is up to the police to get it tested.

To StandUp:  I do agree with you: it does not make sense on the surface, but if you look at the money and the time, it is understandable that a backlog can occur.  However, I do not think that a backlog of 20 thousand kits is acceptable.

To Jessica H.:  I believe that your thought that victims will not come forward because they believe that their kit will not be tested has been brought up in the argument for getting all the testing done.  I hope to discuss that later on.

I hope that answers all your questions. If you need clarification on anything or have any more questions just let me know.

Also, here are the articles I used to help me with my posts:
Exclusive: Rape in America: Justice Denied
Rape in America, Behind the Emmy-Winning Story
Untested Rape Kits Lead to More Crimes
Untested Rape Kits Sit in Cold Storage
Rape Kits Data, By the Numbers

Video

Human Rights Watch has a channel on YouTube. And I found a video that discusses their investigation into untested rape kits and its result.

The Numbers

In large cities, like Los Angeles, rape is a common, yet atrocious, occurrence.  In Santa Monica, California new victims arrive daily at the Rape Crisis Treatment Center.  Rape kits are meticulously performed on each victim.  Yet, only a handful of these kits are tested.  A majority of these kits are sent to cold storage, where they wait for months, or even years, before they are tested.  A report by the Human Rights Watch proposes that the number of untested rape kits across America is over 400,000, with which the highest numbers occurring in large urban areas, like Los Angeles and New York City.  In Los Angeles the number of rape kits in cold storage falls just under 13,000.  In 2007, the Denny Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program provided $43 million to state crime labs, in order to reduce the number of untested rape kits in the U.S.  However, due to the improper use of the funds, 17 states had their grants by 50 percent in 2008, a loss of $500,000.  New York City cleared its backlog of 16,000 tested kits in three years.  Following the release of the numbers, the city of Los Angeles allocated $700,000 to fund the hiring of 16 climb lab staff members and $250,000 to pay for testing in private labs.

Introduction

Hello, my name is PJ.  I am going to be blogging about the recent mar on the criminal justice system: the large number of untested rape kits found across the United States.  Since this story appeared on CBS News in November of 2009, there has been an increased interest in this staggering number: over 20 thousand.  In many cases the kits have not been sent to the labs for testing and others the kits are there, but due to lack of time, resources, and workers the kits have yet to be tested.  This lack of testing has raised many issues for people across America.  Each year there are thousands of rapes, and if even one percent of these kits are not tested, then that is over a hundred rapists that are free to rape again.  Now, many cities are testing their backlog of kits, generating many hits in the system and many arrests.

In this blog, I will discuss the developments of this story, from its beginning a year ago to today.  I will also discuss the many challenges faced by both victims and the justice system when dealing with rape cases.  In addition, I will discuss the many ideas that have been posed to help reduce the number of untested kits.  I will also follow this story as a piece of legislation makes its way through Congress that will hopefully reduce the backlog and prevent future rape kits from waiting months and even years before being tested.  I invite you to comment or ask questions. I will do my best to respond.  Thanks for reading!