Thousands of rape evidence kits never tested: fix it, LE!

[zinc]

Editorial: Respect for Rape Victims
The New York Times
November 14, 2009

A promising bipartisan bill introduced this week in the Senate addresses a stubborn scandal: the enormous backlog of untested rape kits, which contain the physical evidence obtained from sexual assault victims...

...Human Rights Watch found more than 12,500 untested rape kits in the Los Angeles area alone. The Houston Police Department recently found at least 4,000 untested rape kits in storage. Detroit’s backlog may be as high as 10,000 untested kits...

...This is a huge insult to rape victims, who submit to a lengthy and intrusive process to have the DNA evidence harvested from their bodies. It is also an inexcusable loss for law enforcement and justice...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/14/opinion/14sat3.html

More information is available from Human Rights Watch: http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/11/05/us-senate-move-quickly-sexual-assault-bill

You can contact your senator about this or any legislation: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

 

[kgeaux]

Editorial: Respect for Rape Victims
The New York Times
November 14, 2009



http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/14/opinion/14sat3.html

More information is available from Human Rights Watch: http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/11/05/us-senate-move-quickly-sexual-assault-bill

You can contact your senator about this or any legislation: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

This is nothing new. A few years ago in Louisiana, it was ROUTINE to NOT test DNA from a rape victim, unless there was a suspect to compare to. During the time a couple of serial killers were wandering around from Breaux Bridge to Baton Rouge slaughtering women, a push was begun to begin "catching up" on that back-log. Several rapes that occurred years to a decade ago were immediately solved.

I honestly don't know the reasoning behind this. DNA testing is expensive. Maybe rape victims aren't worth the cost to some districts?

Things need to change, and change now. Thanks for bringing this to my attention!

 

[OneLostGrl]

Editorial: Respect for Rape Victims
The New York Times
November 14, 2009



http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/14/opinion/14sat3.html

More information is available from Human Rights Watch: http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2009/11/05/us-senate-move-quickly-sexual-assault-bill

You can contact your senator about this or any legislation: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml

This is so wrong!!