Tom Perriello on Crime

Easier access to rape kits, and more rape kit analysis.

Congress finds the following:
1. Rape is a serious problem.
2. In 2006, there were an estimated 261,000 rapes and sexual assaults.
3. The collection and testing of DNA evidence is a critical tool in solving rape cases.
4. Despite the availability of funding under the Debbie Smith Act of 2004, there exists a significant rape kit backlog.
5. A 1999 study estimated that there was an annual backlog of 180,000 rape kits that had not been analyzed.
6. No agency regularly collects information regarding the scope of the rape kit backlog.
7. Certain States cap reimbursement for rape kits at levels that are less than 1/2 the average cost of a rape kit.
8. There is a lack of health professionals who have received specialized training specific to sexual assault victims.

SPONSOR'S INTRODUCTORY REMARKS:

Sen. FRANKEN: Last year, 90,000 people were raped. Thanks to modern technology, we have an unparalleled tool to bring sexual predators to justice: forensic DNA analysis. Rape kit DNA evidence is survivors' best bet for justice. Unfortunately, we have failed to make adequate use of DNA analysis. In 2004, then-Sen. Biden and others worked to pass the Debbie Smith Act, a law named after a rape survivor whose backlogged rape kit was tested six years after her assault. Unfortunately, because many localities simply did not use the Debbie Smith funds they were allocated, the promise of the Debbie Smith Act remains unfulfilled.

In 2009, Los Angeles had 12,500 untested rape kits; Houston found at least 4,000 untested rape kits in storage, and Detroit reported a backlog of possibly 10,000 kits. Those are just three cities. Hundreds of thousands of women have not seen justice.