Did you know that rape kit backlog is a huge problem in America? I recently learned about this issue from the RAINN (Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network) organization. RAINN is encouraging constituents to contact legislators to fully fund the Debbie Smith Act.
Background on the Debbie Smith Act:
The Debbie Smith Act was originally signed into law in 2004 to provide local and state crime laboratories resources to end the backlog of untested DNA evidence from unsolved crimes, analyze DNA samples, and increase the capacity to process DNA in order to guard against future backlogs. Since it became law, more than 641,000 DNA cases have been processed. In addition to crime scene evidence, Debbie Smith funds are also utilized to process offender DNA samples to ensure evidence from unsolved crimes can be matched against a database of known offenders, similar to the similar to the criminal fingerprint databases.
Please read the following request from the RAINN:
| I don’t have to tell you that the rape kit backlog is a huge problem in America. It’s unconscionable that, even today, some survivors of sexual assault are forced to wait nearly a decade to get their kits processed and tested. But we have a very real chance of ending that backlog now. Will you please tell your legislators to fully fund the Debbie Smith Act today, which would end the rape kit backlog? We only have a few days to shape Congress’ budget for next year and how we want this money used, so it’s imperative that members of Congress hear from all of us. Act Now This law has proven successful. Debbie Smith Act funding has produced more than 42% of the DNA hits identifying criminal suspects in the FBI’s DNA database, CODIS. As of March 2021, CODIS had produced 558,427 hits, assisting in more than 545,581 investigations. Overall, Debbie Smith funds have enabled forensic labs across the country to test evidence from 860,000 crime scenes, process DNA samples from more than 376,000 offenders, and make more than 192,000 CODIS hits. We are so close of realizing our goal of fully funding the Debbie Smith Act to eliminate the rape kit backlog, and we can’t stop pushing now. Please, take action with us today. Thank you, Camille Cooper Vice President of Public Policy P.S. Right now, members of Congress are reviewing funding requests for the next year and funding for ending the rape kit backlog needs to be a top priority. We need you to take action today and ask your members of Congress to fully fund the Debbie Smith Act to eliminate the rape kit backlog. |
More information can be found on the RAINN website:
