3 ms·
> I couldn't readily find the blurb I was looking for, but found an interview that says there are 175k unprocessed rape kits in the US. not to dismiss that ent
by sigstoat 9y ago
> I couldn't readily find the blurb I was looking for, but found an interview that says there are 175k unprocessed rape kits in the US.
not to dismiss that entire number (or even much of it), but it's worth noting that many locales will collect anonymous rape kits. but a rape kit without any kind of identifying information on it is of no evidentiary value (you can't establish chain of custody, and you don't have a victim, etc).
further, forensic laboratories frequently operate under regulations which forbid them from testing samples which don't have any identifying information. so a fraction of these unprocessed kits can't be processed, and even if you did, you can't do anything with the information.
- gph 9y agoWhat is the purpose of an anonymous rape kit? From your post it sounds like it doesn't really have a purpose to any criminal investigation, but if that's the case why are they even collecting it in the first place?
- DoreenMichele 9y agohttp://victimsofcrime.org/our-programs/dna-resource-center/untested-sexual-assault-kits/unreported-sexual-assault-kits http://victimsofcrime.org/our-programs/dna-resource-center/u...
- DoreenMichele 9y agoI have done a little googling. I cannot come up with data on what percentage of rape kits are anonymous -- on the other hand, Wikipedia says: Conservative estimates indicate there are 200,000–400,000 untested SAKs in U.S. police departments https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_kit https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rape_kit Anyway, if someone can come up with data as to what percentage are anonymous, I am curious.