On Thursday, Sen. Kamala Harris revealed her plan to clear rape kit backlogs nationwide.
What We Know:
- Harris is a champion of this issue. In a statement released on Thursday, she stated, “As California’s Attorney General, I committed resources and attention to clearing a backlog of 1,300 untested rape kits at state-run labs, and we got it done within my first year in office. We need the same focus at the national level to pursue justice and help hold predators accountable.”
- CNN reported that during her time as District Attorney General in 2012, she “cleared its [California] backlog and reduced the rape kit analysis time to 30 days, down from an average of 90 to 120 days.” She accomplished this by introducing new technology, including robotics, to reduce the time it took to analyze evidence.
- Harris plans to provide enough funding for states to close their rape kit backlogs within four years. The plan also includes measures to prevent backlogs from piling up.
- One cause of large backlogs is the price of testing rape kits. According to the advocacy group, End the Backlog, it costs around $1,000 to $1,500 to test a rape kit.
- Rape kits include physical and DNA evidence; both are crucial pieces to solving cases. When these kits are not tested in a timely fashion, the justice process is delayed.
- Harris acknowledges this obstacle but continues to persist. She said, “The federal government can and should prioritize justice for survivors of sex abuse, assault and rape.”
My plan to clear the rape kit backlog would:
✅Require states to annually report the number of untested rape kits
✅Require testing within a short time frame
✅Give survivors the right to know the status of their rape kits
✅Increase the availability of rape kits nationwide— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 11, 2019
Hopefully, this initiative will allow smaller, local police departments to bring criminals to justice.
