Pillar: Statewide Inventory
A thorough count of untested rape kits currently in the possession of medical facilities, law enforcement agencies, rape crisis centers, and crime laboratories can uncover the current number of untested kits; provide a full picture of rape kit handling and testing procedures across the state; and guide a state legislature in appropriating and targeting resources to eliminate a backlog. By conducting an annual inventory (also commonly referred to as an “audit”) of untested rape kits, states can strengthen accountability, monitor progress toward eliminating the backlog, and send a message to survivors that they matter.
When the extent of a jurisdiction’s backlog is revealed, real reform can begin. When law enforcement agencies account for the untested kits in their custody, communities can begin to take steps to test those kits, hold offenders accountable, and bring justice to sexual assault survivors whose cases have languished, often for years—or even decades.
Inventory laws should require medical facilities, law enforcement agencies, crime labs, rape crisis centers, and any other entities in the state that handle rape kits to count the untested kits they have in their possession. The law should also call for reporting the date each kit was collected and the reason it was not submitted to a crime lab for testing. Legislation should mandate the counting of all kits, including anonymous kits and those outside the statute of limitations, but these should be noted in separate categories.
While this pillar can be best accomplished through legislative action, it can also be satisfied through executive direction, state auditor mandates, or as part of a federal grant requirement. To date, the following states and Washington, D.C. have achieved this pillar:
The following states have conducted a one-time inventory:
The following states and Washington, D.C. conduct recurring inventories:
Joyful Heart works with state legislators to enact comprehensive rape kit legislation based on the six pillars of reform. We have created model legislation, offering a survivor-centered, trauma-informed approach to rape kit reform at the state level. Click here to learn more.