In a report released on August 10, 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) criticized the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) for violating the constitutional and legal rights of Baltimore residents. The DOJ also identified an alarming pattern of negligence in the BPD’s handling of sexual assault cases. The report found that in such cases, the BPD […]
In January, Joyful Heart filed an amicus brief in The State v. Jones, a case involving a 1993 kidnapping and rape that was being heard before the Ohio Supreme Court. Under consideration was a lower court’s decision to use, in part, the state’s delay in testing rape kits to dismiss these charges against an alleged […]
As a Board Member of the Joyful Heart Foundation, I am particularly proud to be part of the release of the organization’s new report: Navigating Notification: A Guide to Re-engaging Sexual Assault Survivors Affected by the Untested Rape Kit Backlog. This report, along with other national studies conducted specifically on victim notification, offers protocols, policies […]
“Navigating Notification” includes years of research to share best practices and lessons learned. NEW YORK – Today, the Joyful Heart Foundation released Navigating Notification: A Guide to Re-engaging Sexual Assault Survivors Affected by the Untested Rape Kit Backlog. This groundbreaking report will help jurisdictions working to eliminate their backlogs of untested rape kits to create […]
We read hundreds of rape reports. For months in 2013, alongside colleague Leila Atassi, I poured over police narratives that recounted attacks against women in our city. Women whose rape kits had been collected with care and then shelved for decades. We’d never met the women, never interviewed them. Their stories, though, stuck with us […]
Brenda Tracy and I are very excited to announce that following a unanimous Senate vote on Feb. 26, 2016. On March 2, 2016, the Oregon House voted to pass SB 1571 and send “Melissa’s Law” to Oregon Governor Kate Brown for approval and ratification into law! The inspiration behind this law to improve police response […]
For Immediate Release: February 11, 2016Contact: media@endthebacklog.org HONOLULU – The Joyful Heart Foundation, founded in Kailua-Kona in 2004, today provided testimony in support of House Bill 1907, which would help address the rape kit backlog in Hawai‘i. Since 2010, Joyful Heart has made the elimination of the rape kit backlog a top priority. Through partnerships […]
The backlog of untested rape kits has touched nearly every corner of the country. It seems every week, a community discovers rape kits that have never been sent to the lab for analysis. Untested rape kits mean that dangerous offenders have been allowed to remain on the streets—free to offend with impunity—and survivors of these […]
President Obama Includes $41 Million for Rape Kit Reform in Budget Request On Tuesday, President Obama announced his FY17 budget proposal, which included $41 million in funding for the U.S. Department of Justice’s community-based sexual assault response initiative. These federal funds will build upon the investments made to address the rape kit backlog in FY15 […]
