Indiana has adopted just two of the six pillars of reform: inventory of untested kits and statewide tracking system.
Statewide Inventory
Yes, the state carried out a one-time inventory.
Is the inventory recurring?
No
Are law enforcement agencies and/or labs required to participate in the inventory?
Yes
Does the law require to document the date of when each kit was collected?
No
Does the law require a reason to be given as to why the kit was not submitted to a crime lab for testing?
Yes
Does the law require untested kits to be counted?
Yes
Test Backlogged Kits
No, the state has not committed to testing its backlogged kits.
Does the law require law enforcement to submit all untested kits, including those past the statute of limitation, within a certain deadline?
n/a
Does the law set a deadline for the crime laboratory to complete analysis once a kit has been submitted to the lab?
n/a
Does the law require kits past the statute of limitations to be sent in for testing?
n/a
Does the law allow public crime labs to outsource unsubmitted kits?
n/a
Test New Kits
No, the state has not mandated testing.
According to the law, how much time after a rape kit examination do hospitals have to notify law enforcement that a kit is ready to be picked up?
n/a
According to the law, after being notified, within what time frame is law enforcement required to pick up the kit?
n/a
According to the law, after picking the kit up, within what time frame is law enforcement required to submit the kit to the lab?
n/a
According to the law, after receiving the kit, within what time frame is the lab required to test the kit?
n/a
Does the law allow crime labs to outsource kits for testing if they are unable to meet the deadline?
n/a
Implement Tracking System
Yes, tracking system in use.
Does the law state that the tracking system should track initial collection at hospital, inventory and storage by law enforcement, and testing and storage by state labs?
Yes
Does the law state that the tracking system should track if kit a has been destroyed?
Yes
Does the law allow all agencies who participate in the tracking system to update the status of a kit?
Yes
Does the law state that the tracking system should have a victim portal?
Yes
Does the law require law enforcement, labs, and hospitals to participate in the tracking system?
Yes
Does the law state that all previously untested kits should be entered into the system?
No
Victim's Right To Know
No, the state has not granted victims the right to notice and be informed on the status of their kit.
Do victims have the right to receive information of the location, testing date, and testing results of their kit?
n/a
Do victims have the right to be informed when there is any change in the status of their case?
n/a
Do victims have the right to receive notification before destruction of their kit?
n/a
Are victims granted further preservation of the kit or its probative contents?
n/a
Are victims provided with the contact information for the designated liaison(s) at the corresponding law enforcement agency at the time that a kit is collected?
n/a
Do victims have the right to receive a physical document identifying their rights under law?
n/a
Fund Reform
No, the state has not allocated any of its own funds towards reform.
n/a
Take Action Today to Bring Further Rape Kit Reform to Indiana
In 2026, legislators in Indiana introduced HB1073, which would mandate the state police to use $2.5 million secured in the 2025 budget to process rape kits and to eliminate the backlog of untested rape kits. Under the bill, the state police must report status of backlog and how funds were used by October 1st, 2027.
In 2025, legislators in Indiana introduced HB1413, which would have required all backlogged kits to be tested before January 1, 2027. The bill also established the rape kit backlog fund which would provide funding to law enforcement agencies and laboratories to eliminate the backlog. Read our letter of support. The bill failed to pass.
In 2025, Indiana legislators introduced SB533, which would have established kit handling timelines and enhance survivors’ rights. The bill would have required medical facilities to notify law enforcement within 24 hours for kit pickup, and labs to test kits within 90 days. It also mandated that kits be retained until the statute of limitations expires or until the victim turns 40 if they were a minor at the time of the assault. Additionally, the bill would have established a Rights of Victims of Sexual Assault Commission. The bill failed to pass.
In 2025, legislators in Indiana introduced HB1093, which would grant victims the right to know the results of their kits and require this information to be included in the statewide rape kit tracking system. This bill also would have established a State Sexual Assault Response Team. The bill failed to pass.
In 2025, legislators in Indiana introduced HB1291, which would have required law enforcement agencies to submit an annual inventory report on kits in their possession to the State Police Department superintendent and the legislature. The bill failed to pass.
In 2024, legislators in Indiana introduced HB1040. This bill would call for an annual inventory of untested kits in the state. It would also mandate the testing of backlogged kits throughout the state, and provide handling timelines for newly collected kits. Finally, it would grant victims the right to be notified on the status of their case. The bill failed to pass.
According to a news report from CBS4 Indy, there are at least 6,600 untested kits in Marion County alone in 2022. The true extent of the backlog in Indiana remains unknown.
In 2019, Indiana enacted SB424, which requires law enforcement and prosecutors to provide rape kit updates in the tracking system. The law allows a survivor to register for electronic updates, including notice of rape kit destruction, via the state’s kit-tracking system. Indiana legislators considered additional rape kit reform bills, but these bills failed to pass. Learn more here.
Legislators also introduced HB1121, which would have mandated annual inventory reports of rape kits collected across the state, but this bill failed to pass.
In 2017, the Indiana Senate adopted Senate Resolution 55, requesting a one-time statewide audit of untested rape kits. The inventory report, published in November 2017, identified 4,980 backlogged rape kits connected to reported crimes across the state.
In 2015, The Accountability Project issued an open records request to the Gary Police Department. The Gary Police Department has not responded to our 2014 records request. As of March 2017, we have closed our inquiry.
In 2014, The Accountability Project issued an open records request to bring the number of untested rape kits in Indianapolis to light. Through this request, we uncovered a backlog of 5,006 untested kits in Indianapolis.
In 2007, Indiana passed HB1655, which requires law enforcement to pick up a rape kit within 48 hours after receiving a notification from the medical facility; transport the kit to “secured storage;” and keep it at least one year, or until the survivor reports the crime to law enforcement and the sample is transported to a crime lab, whichever is earlier. The law also requires the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute’s Victim Services Division to notify the survivor before kit destruction.
Accountability
We have issued public records requests, through the Freedom of Information Act, to the following jurisdictions in Indiana to discover whether they possess any untested rape kits.
The Joyful Heart Foundation today applauded the Indiana state legislature’s passage of S.B. 264, which takes the first step towards creating a statewide sexual assault kit tracking system. This important milestone in the effort to undertake rape kit reform in Indiana is the result of collaboration led by Senator Michael Crider, survivor and advocate Michelle Kuiper, the Indiana Coalition to End Sexual Assault, and Joyful Heart.
The Joyful Heart Foundation, a leader in the effort to eliminate the national rape kit backlog, today criticized law enforcement in Gary, Indiana for hindering efforts to obtain information about the number of untested sexual assault kits in their custody. “The rape kit backlog represents a failure of the criminal justice system to protect survivors and hold perpetrators accountable. We can and must do better,” said Ilse Knecht, Director for Policy and Advocacy.
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 […]
