Reason Behind the Backlog, Why Thousands Of Rape Kits Get Discarded
By Alexandria Hoff
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A new study has revealed that a disheartening number of rape kits in the state have been left to collect dust.
The backlog in Pennsylvania is 1,850 kits long, according to data collected from police municipalities and provided to the Pennsylvania Department of Health. 1300 of those sexual assault files belong to the city of Philadelphia.
Philadelphia police tell Eyewitness News that before a 2015 law went into effect mandating the immediate testing of all rap kits, the department had put their own mandate into effect. The spokesperson explained that all backlogged kits predate 2011 and likely stretch back into the early 1990's.
For every 100 rape cases, 32 are reported to police, 7 arrests will be made, 3 will be referred to prosecutors, and rapists in 98 of those 100 cases will walk free, according to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network.
But the true issue of putting attackers behind bars is not kits left on shelves, but sexual assaults going unreported according to Monique Howard, Executive Director with the Philadelphia advocacy group Women Organized Against Rape.
She adds that there can be various reasons why a test can be left to sit, including cases where victims do not seek charges or ask for their names to be removed from the file.
For her and other sexual assault experts consulted in the story, the data being made public points to progress.
"Any time there is movement in the direction of transparency thats a good thing. There are no secrets," she said.
Philadelphia police say that they have a plan in place to sort through the (approximately) 1300 records.
The reporting and examination that follows an assault can be hard on victims.
"The anxiety is reliving the experience," says Howard.
The last thing she and police officials want to see is victims who are discouraged by these numbers. The kits serve as important evidence tools that are crucial to putting attackers behind bars and stopping them from victimizing more women/men.
"I want people to really understand that the system is moving and to report any rape or sexual assault that takes place.
Its important to point out that Pennsylvania's backlog numbers are relatively low when compared with other regions.
In 2013 the City of Memphis reported a backlog of over 12,000 sexual assault kits.
