$45 Million Allocated to Rape Kit Reform in Federal
Spending Bill Signed into Law on Friday
Joyful Heart Foundation praises the inclusion of $45 million for rape kit reform in the FY16 omnibus spending bill, signed into law by President Obama on Friday afternoon. This funding for the U.S. Department of Justice’s community-based sexual assault kit initiative will provide jurisdictions the resources to test backlogged kits, investigate and prosecute cases connected to the backlog, and develop victim notification protocols. Joyful Heart has been a leader in the effort to provide much-needed support for communities as they work to end their backlogs and secure justice for survivors.
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Expanding The Accountability Project to Uncover the Rape
Kit Backlog
We’re excited to announce the expansion of The Accountability Project, our work to uncover the extent of rape kit backlogs in cities across the United States, to more than 25 jurisdictions. With the help of our pro-bono lawyers at Goodwin Procter LLP, our public records requests will reach cities from Albany, NY to Anchorage, AK. So far, The Accountability Project has uncovered more than 30,000 untested rape kits and served as a major catalyst for reform to address the backlog. See if your city is one of the ones we’re looking at.
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Fact Sheet: Spotlight on Cities Addressing the Rape
Kit Backlog
Cleveland, Memphis, Detroit and Houston are each cities that have been addressing their backlogs of untested kits over the past few years. The results have been clear: testing all kits can bring valuable evidence to light and offer healing for survivors.
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DOJ Works To Prevent Gender Bias in Police Response to
Sexual Violence
The Justice Department has just issued new guidance to assist law enforcement in identifying and preventing gender bias. It specifically calls for a thorough and effective investigation of sexual assault, including the collection and analysis of rape kits in a timely manner.
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Support Our Efforts to End the Backlog Today with a
Donation
With December 31 around the corner, our year-end fundraising deadline is upon us. Your donation will fund Joyful Heart’s work to end the backlog. And as you can see, our work is effecting real change. But we need your support: we’ve got big plans for 2016!
Make a tax deductible donation today
ENDTHEBACKLOG in the News
Read about Joyful Heart’s efforts to #ENDTHEBACKLOG:
- Cops Get New Guidance On Responding To Sexual Assault And Domestic Violence (Huffington Post)
- Untested rape kits in Idaho raise concerns (Salt Lake Tribune)
- Testing Justice: Addressing Tucson’s untested rape kits (Tucson News Now)
- The story behind the first rape kit (CNN)
- DNA evidence collected in sex assault cases languishes in storage, sometimes thrown away (Grand Forks Herald)
- A Survivor Explains The Sad Reason It Took 10 Years to Find Her Rapist (attn:)