“I waited 32 fear and anxiety-filled years to hear anything about my kit and my case, and I know others are experiencing that tragedy right now. My heart aches for them,” said Gail Gardner, a survivor from Florida who was kept in the dark about her rape kit for over three decades. Today, a bill […]
Yesterday, Senator Linda Stewart (D-13) and Representative Emily Slosberg (D-91) introduced Gail’s Law (S.B. 1002 and H.B. 673). This legislation would create a rape kit tracking system, granting timely access to information about their kits to thousands of sexual assault survivors throughout Florida. We are proud to stand alongside Gail, RAINN, Sharity Global, and the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence in support of this meaningful and survivor-focused bill.
The Joyful Heart Foundation, a leader in the effort to provide cities and states with the resources they need to address their backlog of rape kits, this week applauded the passage of Florida SB 636, which takes meaningful steps to address the backlog of untested rape kits in the state. DNA evidence is an invaluable investigative tool. When tested, rape kit evidence can identify an unknown assailant, confirm the presence of a known suspect, affirm the survivor’s account of the atack, connect the suspect to other crime scenes, and exonerate the wrongly convicted.
Prepares to Testify before U.S. Senate Committee FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 19, 2015CONTACT: Melissa Schwartz, media@joyfulheartfoundation.org NEW YORK – As part of its ongoing effort to identify the number of untested rape kits across the United States, the Joyful Heart Foundation today released information obtained from the following cities: • Charlotte, North Carolina (1,019 kits) […]
