The sexual assault kit (SAK) backlog is a pressing issue that impacts justice and public safety. This backlog refers to untested evidence collected in sexual assault cases, often due to resource constraints, lack of standard procedures, and systemic challenges. Efforts like the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) are driving change by providing the resources, technology, and expertise necessary to tackle this crisis.
Understanding the Problem
Sexual assault kits are critical tools in investigations, containing potentially probative forensic evidence collected from survivors or victims, used to identify perpetrators. However, many kits remain untested, leaving survivors without answers or a chance at justice and offenders free to commit additional crimes.
According to SAKI, over 245,000 kits have been inventoried across the U.S. to date, with over 100,000 already submitted for testing. Private laboratories, like Bode Technology, have been instrumental in the testing of these kits. Investing in the help of a private lab allows agencies to simultaneously eliminate their current backlog quickly via outsourcing and provides the space to add staff and build capacity to prevent future backlogs. This crucial partnership is essential to ensure successful resolution of large volumes of cases while improving state and local laboratory process for future cases.
Since its inception in 2015, this initiative has resulted in over 19,000 CODIS (Combined DNA Index System) hits, linking evidence to known offenders or often other crimes. 78% of the CODIS hits identified from the sexual assault kit backlog are connected to violent serial offenders who do not have a sexual assault conviction. This means sexual offenders are frequently usually involved in various violent crimes that have nothing to do with sexual assault. Addressing the backlog not only finds those guilty of sexually related crimes but also many other violent crimes, creating safer communities for everyone.
Solutions in Action
National Programs
SAKI, managed by the DOJ’s Bureau of Justice Assistance, supports state and local jurisdictions with funding, training, and technical assistance to address their backlogs. This includes implementing standardized testing procedures, leveraging advanced DNA testing like forensic genetic genealogy, and fostering collaboration between law enforcement, forensic labs, prosecutors and victim advocacy groups.
Lavinia Masters Act
At just 13-years-old, Lavinia B. Masters was raped at knife point by a home intruder while her siblings were asleep in the same room and her parents slept upstairs. The family immediately notified the police and went to a hospital in Dallas, TX, where a forensic medical exam was performed, and DNA evidence was collected in a rape kit.
This critical evidence from sat for over two decades before it was tested. In the meantime, the rapist had struck again, attacking several more women.
With advocacy and encouraging lawmakers to make a change, the Lavinia Masters Act passed in 2019. This act requires Texas crime laboratories to test sexual assault kits within 90 days of receipt, preventing the issue of sexual assault kit backlogs accumulating again in the future.
Innovative Testing Services
At Bode Technology we are a leader in processing untested SAKs using state-of-the-art DNA technology. Our end-to-end services include DNA analysis, CODIS uploads, and support for cold case investigations. By reducing turnaround times and offering specialized testing for degraded samples (often present in cold cases), we ensure every kit is processed efficiently and accurately.
Victim-Centered Approaches
At the heart of addressing SAK backlogs is ensuring a victim-centered approach. A victim-centered approach prioritizes the rights, dignity, and well-being of survivors of sexual violence throughout the investigation and judicial processes. This methodology ensures survivors feel respected, informed, and supported, emphasizing their agency while pursuing justice. Transparent communication and notification, trauma-informed practices, comprehensive victim services, respectful evidence collection and case handling, and cultural sensitivity underscore a collaborative approach where agencies, such as law enforcement, forensic labs, and victim advocacy groups, work together to achieve justice without re-traumatizing survivors. While organizations like Bode Technology play a pivotal role in forensic testing, the victim-centered approach is driven by policies, training, and partnerships at the local and national levels.
Why It Matters
Clearing the backlog not only delivers answers and provides a chance at long-awaited justice for survivors but also strengthens public safety by identifying violent and serial offenders. Jurisdictions like Missouri and Dallas County have demonstrated the profound impact of these efforts, from securing convictions in decades-old cases to preventing future crimes.
Collaboration among key stakeholders of the criminal justice system, including forensic labs, and advocacy organizations is crucial to implementing and sustaining progress. Tackling the backlog sends a clear message: survivors matter, and offenders must be held accountable and prevented from causing further harm.
Have a sexual assault kit backlog? Grant funding is available.
If your organization has a sexual assault kit backlog (either unsubmitted/partially tested kits, or kits backlogged at your lab) and does not have the resources to perform forensic testing and the critical downstream activities associated with complex sexual assault investigations, federal grant funding is available. The Bureau of Justice Assistance has a SAKI grant open to the public for any organization eligible to apply. While funding usually opens in the spring it is smart to prepare for the application in advance. Bode Technology can help provide networking resources for first time applicants with existing grantees to help smooth the application process. Webinars are also available on the SAKI Training and Technical Assistance site to help guide first time applicants. More information here: National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) | Funding | Bureau of Justice Assistance