Most Rape Kits in Illinois Never Tested

Most Rape Kits in Illinois Never Tested

Law enforcement officials in the state of Illinois have failed to test as many as 80% of rape kits collected from women who’ve been assaulted since 1995, according to a new report from Human Rights Watch.

The human rights group gathered testing data from nearly half of all jurisdictions in Illinois and discovered that only 1,474 out of 7,494 rape kits compiled over the last 15 years had been tested.

Not surprisingly, the state has one of the lowest arrest rates in the country for sexual assault—11% compared to the national average of 22%.

Illinois leaders are hoping a new law will turn things around. The law makes Illinois the first state to require police to track the processing of rape kits, which must be sent to labs for testing within 10 days. But the 10-day deadline can slide if sufficient staffing and resources are not available.

A rape kit contains all of the evidence collected during an examination of a victim. This may include semen, saliva, fingernail scrapings, pubic hair combings, urine, blood and photographs of the victim’s body.

http://www.allgov.com/Controversies/ViewNews/Most_Rape_Kits_in_Illinois_Never_Tested_100709

by beating a confession out of the most convenient suspect? Or is Illinois a 'rape at will' state?

Good grief. About time they start tracking them and doing something about them.

:cry:

Jesus the stupid is strong with these bureaucrats.

It can be done.

Why put a victim through the further humiliation of completing one of these kits if it's just going to sit on a shelf and rot?

There are an endless supply of Sharon Angle's out there to council these women and make lemonade out of a lemon situation. I previously volunteered for a Rape Crisis Center for about 5 years and although there were some medical & law enforcement professionals that were excellent, getting the rest of them to take these crimes seriously was really trying at times.

The raw courage and faith demanded of rape victims to go to the hospital to get that important evidence.... only to be told it's "backlogged" is infuriating. I'm in IL and I know for a fact that the despair of having endured the humiliation at the hospital, then waiting for justice from the criminal side, can be just about as devastating as the actual rape for some women.

Thanks for your volunteer service in this most crucial area. Major burnout though. I cycle through intense periods of helping hands-on and then that critical need to drawback and re-group. I've done a lot of grant writing for various women's groups so there's a niche for me to "escape" the emotional turmoil at the actual shelter, while still keeping involved.