It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of sexual assault kits are sitting untested in police department and crime lab storage facilities across the country in what is known as the rape kit backlog. Each kit represents a lost opportunity to bring healing and justice to a survivor of sexual violence and safety to a […]
THE JOYFUL HEART FOUNDATION WITH MISSOURI ATTORNEY GENERAL ERIC SCHMITT Our guest author is Attorney General Eric Schmitt of Missouri. Attorney General Schmitt launched the SAFE Kit initiative in the state to address the backlog of untested rape kits and bring justice to survivors. The first step of the initiative was to carry out an […]
In 2019, rape kit reform continued to take hold across the country. This year alone, 103 bills were introduced in 35 states and Washington, D.C. Survivors, advocates, legislators, and many other stakeholders worked rigorously to pass laws to advance rape kit handling and processing. As of December 1, 26 bills in 22 states and Washington, […]
In just the first half of 2019, rape kit reform has made tremendous advances in state capitols across the country. Survivors, advocates, legislators, law enforcement, and countless others have rallied around ending the backlog of untested kits, investigating cases, and supporting survivors. Since January, 20 rape kit reform laws have been enacted in 16 states. […]
The Joyful Heart Foundation with Dr. Paul Speaker, West Virginia University Dr. Paul J. Speaker is a professor in the finance department of the John Chambers College of Business & Economics at West Virginia University. He is also the Principal Investigator for Project FORESIGHT, a business-guided analysis of Forensic Science Laboratories. Here he shares with […]
Several states have begun their 2019 legislative sessions, and there has already been a flurry of activity in states around overhauling rape kit laws. Joyful Heart has been working diligently with lawmakers, survivors, and advocates around the country to introduce legislation and enact reform. So far, 28 rape kit reform bills in 19 states have […]
In 2018, rape kit reform took a tremendous step forward. Survivors, advocates, legislators, and countless others around the country rallied around ending the backlog, investigating cases, and supporting survivors. In 2018, 18 rape kit reform laws were enacted in 16 states. Hawai‘i, our birthplace, and New York, our current home state, both joined Texas in […]
Today, the U.S. House Committee on Energy and Commerce’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing on “Examining the Availability of SAFE Kits at Hospitals in the United States.” The Joyful Heart Foundation strongly supports increased funding and training for Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) and Sexual Assault Forensic Examiner (SAFE) programs across the […]
A sexual assault survivor should not have to wait 10 years for their rape kit to be tested, but that happened in a Fulton County, Georgia, case. While this kit sat on the shelf, the perpetrator sexually assaulted more people and committed other crimes. From December 2001 to May 2005, Dandre Shabazz targeted young women—between […]
