Every 73 seconds, someone is sexually assaulted in the United States. In the immediate aftermath of a sexual assault, a victim may choose to undergo a medical forensic examination to collect evidence left behind in the assault. A doctor or nurse will conduct the examination, which can last between four and six hours, and collect evidence in what is commonly called a rape kit.

Survivors who take this intrusive and extensive step expect that their rape kits will be tested. The public expects the same. Too often, however, rape kits are left untested on evidence room shelves.

DNA technology is a powerful tool to help law enforcement professionals solve and prevent crime. When tested, rape kit evidence can identify an unknown assailant, reveal serial offenders, and exonerate the wrongfully convicted.

Testing rape kits can yield evidence in the form of a DNA profile, which can be entered into local, state, and national databases containing DNA from offenders. When every kit connected to a reported crime is tested, more DNA profiles are developed and uploaded to these databases. This means more DNA from crime scenes will be linked, creating investigative leads and identifying predators — often serial offenders.

Testing Kits from Known Perpetrators

While it is widely understood that rape kits collected in stranger assailant cases should be anaylzed for DNA evidence, some in law enforcement do not understand the value of testing rape kits from known perpetrator cases. We believe these must also be tested. Research shows serial rapists are more prominent than previously known, and they assault both acquaintances and strangers. In other words, a known rapist in one case could be an unknown in another case.

Unveiling Criminal Patterns

DNA in rape kits can connect different crimes together. Offenders who commit sexual assault often are engaged in other crimes, such as burglary, assault, domestic violence, and homicide. Testing all rape kits can identify prolific criminals who are a burden on law enforcement and society in so many ways.

Across the country, testing rape kits is connecting the dots between cases that likely would have not have been linked in any other way.

Positive Economic Impact

In addition to increasing safety, communities save money by testing kits and prosecuting offenders. In Cuyahoga County, Ohio, officials tested over 7,000 backlogged kits, investigated every lead, engaged survivors, and prosecuted cases. Through this testing, serial criminals were taken off the streets and future crimes were averted, saving the county an estimated $38 million.

National Standards Call for the Testing of All Kits

The testing of all rape kits is also promoted by the federal government as a best practice. The National Institute of Justice’s July 2017 report, National Best Practices for Sexual Assault Kits: A Multidisciplinary Approach, outlines 35 nationwide recommendations for handling rape kits. In this report, the federal government strongly recommends all rape kits connected to a reported crime be submitted to a lab for DNA analysis.

Testing all kits sends a powerful message to survivors and offenders: If a community tests all kits, offenders will know law enforcement is serious about sexual assault and using the evidence they left behind to apprehend and prosecute them. More importantly, rape kit testing sends a message to survivors that they—and their cases—matter.