“I AM EVIDENCE exposes the alarming number of untested rape kits in the United States through a character–driven narrative, bringing much needed attention to the disturbing pattern of how the criminal justice system has historically treated sexual assault survivors.
Why is there a rape kit backlog? What can we do to fix the problem? This film explores these questions through survivors’ experiences as they trace the fates of their kits and re-engage in the criminal justice process. I AM EVIDENCE illuminates how the system has impeded justice while also highlighting those who are leading the charge to work through the backlog and pursue long-awaited justice in these cases.
In this film, we seek to send a clear message to survivors that they matter, that we as a nation will do everything possible to bring them a path to healing and justice, and that their perpetrators will be held accountable for their crimes. “
Nothing about this post feels like astroturfing…
Not all the top comments being highly sourced in one direction, not the high up vote-comment ratio. Nope, nothing at all.
No money to help victims of rape in America, endless money to fund rape and genocide in Palestine, aren’t priorities revealing.
These are the main reasons for the failure of this program. People in comments blaming cops, as usual. The problem is congress: Congress doesn’t solve problems any more – they throw money at constituencies that get them re-elected.
____________________________________
It’s reasonable to suggest that Congress may not have fully understood the complexities of the issue before allocating funding to the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative. While the intent behind the funding was commendable—addressing the backlog of untested kits and seeking justice for victims—several factors may have been overlooked:
1. **Overemphasis on Testing**: The focus on testing backlogged kits without considering the broader context, such as the quality of evidence, investigative challenges, or legal hurdles, may indicate a lack of comprehensive planning. Simply testing kits does not automatically lead to convictions, and other investigative steps may not have been fully accounted for in the funding.
2. **Insufficient Focus on Victim-Centered Policies**: The lack of clear and consistent guidelines for notifying victims suggests that the victim experience may not have been adequately considered. A deeper study might have revealed the need for better trauma-informed approaches to contacting survivors and handling their cases.
3. **Operational Challenges**: The wide variation in results across different states and municipalities indicates that local agencies face diverse logistical, resource, and capacity issues. These challenges might not have been thoroughly assessed before funds were allocated. A better understanding of the infrastructure and support needed beyond financial grants could have improved outcomes.
4. **Oversight and Accountability**: It appears that there was insufficient planning for how agencies would be held accountable for using the funds effectively. With low conviction rates and inconsistent communication with victims, it’s possible that a more detailed examination of how funds would translate into tangible results was lacking.
7 comments
[Rape is one of the most severe of all traumas, causing multiple, long-term negative outcomes](https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/38d2/cc8df92f64acb9141d6d8ef0d79d0ce2fe15.pdf).
[Alabama](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/alabama), [California](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/california/), [Indiana](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/indiana/), [Louisiana](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/louisiana/), [Maine](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/maine), [Minnesota](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/minnesota/), [Mississippi](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/mississippi/), [Nebraska](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/nebraska/), [New Hampshire](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/new-hampshire/), [New Jersey](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/new-jersey/), [Oklahoma](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/oklahoma/), [South Carolina](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/south-carolina/), [Tennessee](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/tennessee/), and [Wyoming](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/wyoming/) **do not mandate the testing of backlogged kits**. The [U.S. DoJ](https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/utilizing-codis-unsubmitted-sexual-assault-kits) and [American Bar Association](https://www.americanbar.org/groups/diversity/women/publications/perspectives/2018/may/untested-rape-kits-delays-destruction-and-disregarded-victims/) recommend testing **all** rape kits, even when the statute of limitations (if there is one) has expired. Doing so [increases arrests](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/08874034241226939), makes us safer, and gets justice for more victims.
[Alabama](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/alab), [Delaware](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/delaware/), [Indiana](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/indiana/), [Iowa](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/iowa/), [Louisiana](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/louisiana/), [Maine](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/maine), [Nebraska](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/nebraska/), [New Hampshire](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/new-hampshire/), [New Jersey](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/new-jersey/), [North Dakota](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/north-dakota/), [Puerto Rico](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/puerto-rico/), [South Carolina](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/south-carolina/), [Vermont](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/vermont/), and [Wyoming](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/wyoming/) **do not mandate the timely testing of new kits**.
[Maine](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/maine), [Mississippi](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/mississippi/), [Nebraska](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/nebraska/), [New Hampshire](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/new-hampshire/), [Puerto Rico](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/puerto-rico/), and [South Carolina](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/south-carolina/) **don’t even have to take inventory**.
In [Alabama](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/alab), [Delaware](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/delaware/), [Kansas](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/kansas/), [Maine](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/maine), [Mississippi](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/mississippi/), [New Jersey](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/new-jersey/), [Pennsylvania](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/pennsylvania/), [Rhode Island](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/rhode-island/), [South Dakota](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/south-dakota/), and [Wyoming](https://www.endthebacklog.org/state/wyoming/), **FedEx keeps better track of your packages than your state does of your rape kit**.
Contact from constituents [works](https://escholarship.org/content/qt7sk23908/qt7sk23908.pdf), and [End the Backlog](https://www.endthebacklog.org/take-action/advocate-state/) makes it really easy.
[Blame the system](https://www.theatlantic.com/press-releases/archive/2019/07/an-epidemic-of-disbelief-august-issue/594145/). Fix the system.
[Teach](https://www.reddit.com/r/stoprape/comments/100jwa1/example_letter_to_local_lawmakers_to_help_stop/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) [consent](https://www.reddit.com/r/stoprape/comments/zyznhe/rape_is_so_common_in_part_because_so_many_people/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) and [healthy relationships](https://youth.gov/youth-topics/teen-dating-violence/characteristics), starting [in kindergarten](https://www.pbs.org/newshour/health/spring-fever).
[Test all rape kits](https://www.endthebacklog.org/take_actio/advocate-state).
[Properly investigate all rapes](https://www.startribune.com/a-better-way-to-investigate-rape-denied-justice-part-eight/501636971/).
[Rape is a tractable problem, and we can all do our part](https://www.reddit.com/r/stoprape/comments/12diz7v/rape_is_a_tractable_problem_and_we_can_all_do_our/).
r/stoprape
rape kit backlog is not a real thing (cops can test these and choose not to) [https://theappeal.org/five-ways-the-media-driven-rape-kit-backlog-narrative-gets-it-wrong-99a02956df06/](https://theappeal.org/five-ways-the-media-driven-rape-kit-backlog-narrative-gets-it-wrong-99a02956df06/)
[https://www.iamevidencethemovie.com/](https://www.iamevidencethemovie.com/)
“I AM EVIDENCE exposes the alarming number of untested rape kits in the United States through a character–driven narrative, bringing much needed attention to the disturbing pattern of how the criminal justice system has historically treated sexual assault survivors.
Why is there a rape kit backlog? What can we do to fix the problem? This film explores these questions through survivors’ experiences as they trace the fates of their kits and re-engage in the criminal justice process. I AM EVIDENCE illuminates how the system has impeded justice while also highlighting those who are leading the charge to work through the backlog and pursue long-awaited justice in these cases.
In this film, we seek to send a clear message to survivors that they matter, that we as a nation will do everything possible to bring them a path to healing and justice, and that their perpetrators will be held accountable for their crimes. “
Nothing about this post feels like astroturfing…
Not all the top comments being highly sourced in one direction, not the high up vote-comment ratio. Nope, nothing at all.
No money to help victims of rape in America, endless money to fund rape and genocide in Palestine, aren’t priorities revealing.
These are the main reasons for the failure of this program. People in comments blaming cops, as usual. The problem is congress: Congress doesn’t solve problems any more – they throw money at constituencies that get them re-elected.
____________________________________
It’s reasonable to suggest that Congress may not have fully understood the complexities of the issue before allocating funding to the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative. While the intent behind the funding was commendable—addressing the backlog of untested kits and seeking justice for victims—several factors may have been overlooked:
1. **Overemphasis on Testing**: The focus on testing backlogged kits without considering the broader context, such as the quality of evidence, investigative challenges, or legal hurdles, may indicate a lack of comprehensive planning. Simply testing kits does not automatically lead to convictions, and other investigative steps may not have been fully accounted for in the funding.
2. **Insufficient Focus on Victim-Centered Policies**: The lack of clear and consistent guidelines for notifying victims suggests that the victim experience may not have been adequately considered. A deeper study might have revealed the need for better trauma-informed approaches to contacting survivors and handling their cases.
3. **Operational Challenges**: The wide variation in results across different states and municipalities indicates that local agencies face diverse logistical, resource, and capacity issues. These challenges might not have been thoroughly assessed before funds were allocated. A better understanding of the infrastructure and support needed beyond financial grants could have improved outcomes.
4. **Oversight and Accountability**: It appears that there was insufficient planning for how agencies would be held accountable for using the funds effectively. With low conviction rates and inconsistent communication with victims, it’s possible that a more detailed examination of how funds would translate into tangible results was lacking.