Maryland Law enforcement agencies will soon have access to millions of dollars to process untested rape kits. The funds include $3.5 million from a new state fund for testing, plus a portion of a $2.6 million federal grant that will also help track kits and support survivors.
As part of the statewide effort to address the backlog of untested rape kits, MCASA staff are creating a victim notification protocol that will provide law enforcement agencies with specific guidance on how to contact survivors affected by the backlog of untested kits. Vital to these efforts is ensuring survivors have the support they need to successfully navigate the criminal justice system without experiencing retraumatization.
MCASA will also establish an information line staffed by advocates and attorneys to assist anyone who believes they have been impacted by the backlog. The line will allow survivors to indicate how and when they would like to be contacted. Until this information line is available, survivors may contact the Sexual Assault Legal Institute at 301-565-2277 with any questions.
This funding to address the backlog comes as Maryland establishes new laws for how police handle rape kits: Starting January 1, 2020, police will be required to promptly submit most rape kits for forensic testing, unless the survivor requests otherwise. It typically costs an average of $1,000 to $1,500 to process a single rape kit, and the Maryland Attorney General's Office reported in 2018 that 10 of the state's largest police departments had more than 6,500 untested kits.
Maryland was awarded a $2.6 million grant last year from the U.S. Department of Justice as part of the Sexual Assault Evidence Kit Initiative (SAKI). About a third of that grant will help test roughly 900 kits that were collected before April 2018.
While many are hopeful these efforts will help close cases, there is a very real concern that the prospect of reopening old investigations may dig up painful memories for survivors.
“It’s vital that we reach out to survivors and let them know the status of their rape kit, seek their consent and advice … and make sure they’re as involved as they want to be.”
-Lisae C. Jordan, Executive Director of MCASA
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