How We Determine and Track State Reform

We track the progress of all 50 states in enacting laws and policies that embrace our six legislative pillars of comprehensive rape kit reform. These are criteria our staff of experts—in consultation with survivors, advocates, law enforcement, forensic experts, prosecutors, and policymakers—has determined are critical elements in eliminating the untested rape kit backlog and preventing it from happening again. Read more below about our six pillars and the colors in our interactive End the Backlog map. Then visit the map to see how your state measures up.

About the Six Pillars

1. Implement an annual statewide inventory of kits.
   States must carry out an inventory of all untested kits in hospital, law enforcement, and lab possession. Federal best practices recommend a recurring annual inventory and publication of the results online. This pillar is best adopted by passing a law, but it can also be achieved through an executive initiative, like an order from a governor or an attorney general.
2. Mandate the submission and testing of all backlogged kits.
   To achieve this pillar, states must have tested all backlogged kits connected to reported crimes, have legislation requiring it, or have a plan in place to identify and submit these kits to a lab and test them. This pillar can be achieved through legislation or action. 
3. Mandate the testing of all new kits.
   States must have established deadlines for submitting all newly collected kits connected to reported crimes to a lab and testing them. This pillar can only be adopted through legislation.
4. Create and use a statewide kit tracking system.
   To achieve this pillar, states must establish an electronic rape kit tracking system, or have a plan and deadline for implementation in place. The system must follow the path of a kit throughout the entire process—from collection to final disposition. This pillar can be achieved through legislation or an executive directive. 
5. Implement mechanisms that allow survivors to easily find out the status of their kits.
   States must grant victims the right to receive information about their cases and the status and location of their rape kits. This pillar can only be adopted through legislation.
6. Allocate appropriate funding to submit, test, and track kits.
   To achieve this pillar, states must allocate their own funds to help implement these pillars, with an emphasis on testing backlogged and future kits. 

About Our Map Colors