Mitch MorrisseyFormer District Attorney of Colorado’s Second Judicial District It is no secret that Colorado has had problems with a massive pileup of sexual assault evidence kits in the past decade. What we did not know until recently was just what it costs the state every year that those kits and cases linger. I started […]
Our advocacy efforts in 2024 encompassed rape kit issues, victims’ rights, statute of limitations, victim compensation reform, and image based abuse. A total of 21 states introduced 32 bills related to Joyful Heart’s six pillars of comprehensive rape kit reform, and nine of these bills were enacted into law. Two of the big wins this […]
Bea Hanson, Ph.D.Director, New York State Office of Victim Services After New York State enacted a law requiring sexual offense evidence collection kits not released to law enforcement custody to be maintained for 20 years from the date of collection, the state Office of Victim Services (OVS) was tasked with developing a statewide, secure facility […]
In 2023, we continued our advocacy efforts in 20 states, won a Webby for our redesigned website, and organized and attended in-person events. Our months of work last year rebuilding our campaign website, EndtheBacklog.org won the People’s Voice Webby in the law category. Many thanks to all of our followers for voting and supporting our […]
As the state legislative sessions are ending or paused for a summer break, we look back at our achievements this year. 29 states and Puerto Rico introduced 50 bills related to our six pillars of comprehensive sexual assault kit reform. Out of these, 12 states passed 15 laws. This year, Mississippi enacted its first ever […]
In the 2022 session, we rebuilt our website endthebacklog.org, wrote an academic book chapter and “The State of the Backlog” report, while successfully advocating for rape kit reform across the country. “The State of the Backlog” report provides a birds-eye view of rape kit reform field, focusing on what we have started, where we have […]
In 1976, the remains of a young woman who had been raped and murdered were found in the woods in Baltimore County. For four decades, she was known only as “Woodlawn Jane Doe.” Recently, she was finally identified as Margaret Fetterolf, a 16-year-old from Alexandria, Virginia. What broke the case open was a powerful relatively […]
We must create a system that recognizes that most survivors don’t report to law enforcement, when they do it’s delayed, and many do not choose to participate in the criminal justice process. It’s time for a trauma-informed victim compensation laws that accurately reflect sexual assault surviors’ reality and healing process.
As the globe shouldered another Covid year in 2021, the shadow pandemic of the increased number of sexual assault and domestic violence cases created major safety concerns for women, children, LGBTQ+ individuals, and communities of color. The labs also got busy with testing for Covid, leaving fewer resources for rape kits. Despite the capacity challenges and increasing number of sexual assault cases, legislators introduced 56 bills in 33 states to achieve one or more of Joyful Heart’s six pillars of legislative reform to count, test, and track rape kits, and grant rights to survivors.
