North Carolina is one pillar away from achieving comprehensive rape kit reform. To achieve this, the state needs to grant victims the right to know the status of their kits. The state has eliminated its backlog of untested kits.
Reform Status
Some Reform
Testing Status
Complete
Untested Kits
0*
15160**
Pillar Count
North Carolina is one pillar away from achieving comprehensive rape kit reform. To achieve this, the state needs to grant victims the right to know the status of their kits. The state has eliminated its backlog of untested kits.
Statewide Inventory
- Is the inventory recurring?
- Are law enforcement agencies and/or labs required to participate in the inventory?
- Does the law require to document the date of when each kit was collected?
- Does the law require a reason to be given as to why the kit was not submitted to a crime lab for testing?
- Does the law require untested kits to be counted?
Test Backlogged Kits
- Does the law require law enforcement to submit all untested kits, including those past the statute of limitation, within a certain deadline?
- Does the law set a deadline for the crime laboratory to complete analysis once a kit has been submitted to the lab?
- Does the law require kits past the statute of limitations to be sent in for testing?
- Does the law allow public crime labs to outsource unsubmitted kits?
Test New Kits
- 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?
- According to the law, after being notified, within what time frame is law enforcement required to pick up the kit?
- According to the law, after picking the kit up, within what time frame is law enforcement required to submit the kit to the lab?
- According to the law, after receiving the kit, within what time frame is the lab required to test the kit?
- Does the law allow crime labs to outsource kits for testing if they are unable to meet the deadline?
Implement Tracking System
- 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?
- Does the law state that the tracking system should track if kit a has been destroyed?
- Does the law allow all agencies who participate in the tracking system to update the status of a kit?
- Does the law state that the tracking system should have a victim portal?
- Does the law require law enforcement, labs, and hospitals to participate in the tracking system?
- Does the law state that all previously untested kits should be entered into the system?
Victim's Right To Know
- Do victims have the right to receive information of the location, testing date, and testing results of their kit?
- Do victims have the right to be informed when there is any change in the status of their case?
- Do victims have the right to receive notification before destruction of their kit?
- Are victims granted further preservation of the kit or its probative contents?
- 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?
- Do victims have the right to receive a physical document identifying their rights under law?
Fund Reform
See state reform timeline below.
Take Action Today to Bring Further Rape Kit Reform to North Carolina
State Reform Timeline
Accountability
We have issued public records requests, through the Freedom of Information Act, to the following jurisdictions in North Carolina to discover whether they possess any untested rape kits.
Target
Request Year
Untested kits discovered