End the Backlog of Untested Rape Kits in the U.S.

Since the last time we sent you an update, it seems like every day, we see another story about a jurisdiction struggling with a backlog of untested rape kits, another story of a survivor whose kit was tested after decades and linked to the DNA of perpetrator still out in the community, even another story about a person who had been behind bars for years and was exonerated after the rape kit in his case was finally tested.

These stories remind us why our work to end the backlog of untested rape kits—our work to create lasting, victim-centered reform and change our collective response to sexual assault—is so important.

We’ve told you a bit about our research on victim notification, and we’d like to take this opportunity to share even more with you about our most recent work in this area. Joyful Heart is continuing to make incredible progress, with the goal to end the backlog of untested rape kits and revolutionize the way we respond to survivors of sexual assault. Just last month, we presented preliminary findings from our victim notification research to the collaborative multidisciplinary team of prosecutors, police, advocates and government officials who are working on Detroit’s backlog of over 11,000 untested rape kits.

This research is the first of its kind in the nation, and the report that will come from it—due out in January 2013—will be the only comprehensive resource on what jurisdictions across the country are doing to implement victim notification programs. And as we speak with prosecutors, police, advocates and survivors across the country, it’s become clear that the need for this resource cannot be underestimated.

In addition to working on this report, Joyful Heart hosted a two-day retreat just last week for the team in Detroit to take time away from their daily lives and come together to develop initial guidelines for Detroit’s approach to victim notification. We facilitated an in-depth discussion of all the considerations and factors involved in this process. The team sought to answer questions like: why and when survivors whose kits have been part of the backlog should be notified of the status of their case and the DNA evidence? Who is responsible for being in touch with survivors, from the initial contact to the very end of the process? What resources might be most helpful to survivors throughout this process and how can we ensure they have access to them?

The voices of those survivors directly affected by the backlog will also be heard and represented in our report. In the fall, Joyful Heart will host a similar retreat for survivors of sexual assault to discuss their experiences with notification and what they would like to see in a victim notification program. 

All this information will be used to develop comprehensive and victim-centered standards of care in Detroit’s victim notification policies and procedures and to guide jurisdictions across the country grappling with their own backlogs.

We look forward to sharing all of our findings and the final report with you. In the meantime, please continue to help us in this important work. Consider setting up a recurring donation or, if you don’t have the means to give more at this time, support us by forwarding our GlobalGiving project to a friend or organizing an online fundraiser to generate much-needed funds and awareness for our work.

Until the next time,

Lendon

GG Project Manager