For Immediate Release: February 21, 2023
Contact: Olivia Hall, media@endthebacklog.org
NEW YORK – This month in Mississippi, HB485 and HB995, bills that would enact sweeping, survivor-centered criminal justice reform, have passed the house unanimously. HB485 would mandate the timely submission and testing of sexual assault evidence kits, examine creating a rape kit tracking system to increase transparency in the process, and give rights to survivors to know the status of their rape kits. HB995 modernizes Mississippi’s outdated sexual assault code and gives prosecutors needed tools to fight sexual assault.
Currently, Mississippi has no standard procedure for the handling of sexual assault evidence kits, also referred to as “rape kits.” When tested, the DNA in these kits can identify unknown offenders, exonerate the wrongfully convicted, and link crimes together, identifying serial rapists, who are also often serial criminals. Research has shown that most rapists are serial offenders, and they engage in all kinds of crime including burglary, theft, child abuse, and homicide.
Additionally, Mississippi’s current laws also hinder the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault. Current law defines rape as an “assault with intent to forcibly ravish any female of previous chaste character.” This is an antiquated definition badly in need of revision. Furthermore, the law now includes being married to the victim as a defense to rape.
“Both HB485 and HB995 should be a priority for the Mississippi Senate. Together, these bills will pave a path to justice and healing for survivors of sexual assault and bring archaic rape laws into the 21st century,” says Ilse Knecht, Director of Policy and Advocacy at the Joyful Heart Foundation. “If both bills are passed, these two bills would increase public safety, create new paths to justice for survivors of sexual assault, and give updated tools to law enforcement and prosecutors to address sexual violence. The Mississippi senate should act swiftly to pass these vital bills.”
Learn more about reform in Mississippi at Endthbacklog.org/mississippi. If you have any questions or need more information, do not hesitate to contact our media department at Media@EndtheBacklog.org to connect with our director of Policy and Advocacy, Ilse Knecht.
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End the Backlog is a program of the Joyful Heart Foundation, a national nonprofit organization founded by producer, director, actress, and advocate Mariska Hargitay with the mission to transform society’s response to sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, and support survivors’ healing.