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 […]
Joyful Heart Foundation applauds the passage of the 2022 omnibus appropriations bill, HR2471, which included key legislation and funding that will protect and support survivors, prevent violence, and address the rape kit backlog.
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.
Since then, we have helped legislators in all fifty states create over 110 laws, based on our six pillars of rape kit reform. However, our work has only just begun. Though many of these laws make great strides in rape kit reform, we have found that sometimes certain organizational and verbiage flaws cause loopholes that do not serve survivors or law enforcement and end up leaving offenders on the streets.
Though there were many challenges and setbacks, 2020 was an exceptional year. We are thankful that despite the devastating effects of the pandemic and states’ shifting legislative priorities to health and economic recovery bills, our work to end the backlog and support survivors continued to move forward. Twenty three states introduced 46 bills that would […]
Since 2010, ending the rape kit backlog has been the top advocacy priority of the Joyful Heart Foundation. In 2016, Joyful Heart launched a national campaign to eliminate the backlog based on six pillars of reform. The campaign has been incredibly successful, with reform spreading across the country. In fact, 43 states have passed at […]
Ending the rape kit backlog will take a coordinated effort and deep commitment at all levels of government. Throughout the country, State Attorneys General have joined this effort to take action to address their state’s backlogs of untested rape kits. These actions have made communities safer and helped to bring justice for survivors. The initiatives […]
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 […]
