I saw an Oprah episode that did a segment on an ABCNEWS report about how rape kits are rarely processed when the rapist is an unknown suspect. These kits hold the physical evidence left behind by the perpetrator. When processed, the DNA, which holds the genetic profile of the rapist, is used as evidence in the police investigation.

Howard Safir, former New York City Police Commissioner said, "In probably 90 percent of the country, if you are raped by somebody who you don't know, by a stranger, the probability is that the rape kit will not get tested at all for DNA." So basically, in these cases, the evidence is taken from the victim and sits on a shelf unanalyzed for what could be months or even years because law enforcement is unable to spend the $500 (an average price) needed to process the evidence. Safir estimates that there could be half a million unanalyzed kits nationwide.

This is a serious problem because some estimate that approximately 1 in 3 women are sexually assaulted within their lifetime and by the time the average rapist is caught, they've usually raped eight to twelve people. The analysis of these kits may stop a rapist before more victims are added to the statistics and give a sense of closure to those not so fortunate.

How is the problem supposed to be alleviated?

Victims cannot pay for their own rape kits to be processed because that would make the situation into justice only for those who can afford it. People may donate funds explicitly towards the processing of rape kits so long as they don't specify which peoples' kits the money should go toward. Groups are asking Washington to give more attention to the issue and recently some organizations have brought forth money to help process some kits.

As a part of a project, ABCNEWS gave half the money needed to have kits from fifty unsolved cases analyzed. These kits were picked by random. Of the 50, only 39 had enough DNA to be entered into state and federal criminal databases. Of those, four matched samples already in the databank, two others where from the same man, one got a man to confess to a rape/murder from over a decade ago, and another got and innocent man exonerated.

This did not only help victims gain closure but perhaps prevented future victims, placed a man in jail and got another out.

ABCNEWS Report