2015 FOIA Request
FOIA Documents
Jurisdiction Type
Laboratory
Response
Untested Kits Discovered
594
Why did we send the FOIA?
In 2015, Joyful Heart issued public records requests to 22 medium sized jurisdictions for which we did not have any or had very little information about their untested rape kits.
What did we discover?
Through our efforts, we have learned that backlogs and turnaround times vary significantly across the three TBI laboratories. As of October 2016: The Nashville lab has a backlog of 87 cases, with a turnaround time of 16 weeks for testing kits; The Knoxville lab has a backlog of 170 cases, with a turnaround time of 10 weeks for testing kits; and The Memphis lab has a backlog of 337 cases, with a turnaround time of 32 weeks for testing kits.
More Accountability Targets in Tennessee
Why Accountability?
Right now, we do not know the full extent of the national rape kit backlog because few states require law enforcement agencies to count, track, or test rape kits. The Accountability Project aims to bring greater transparency and accountability to rape kit testing practices across the country.