Huge Backlog of Rape-Kit Analyses Hinders Justice

[ismnotwasm]

Feminist Daily News Wire
October 22, 2008
Huge Backlog of Rape-Kit Analyses Hinders Justice

The draft of an audit report from the Los Angeles city controller's office has revealed disturbing statistics about the handling of sexual assault investigations by the city's police department.

As of September 4, 2008, the city had a backlog of 7,038 "rape kits" waiting in freezers for analysis, according to the audit. Rape kits contain the physical evidence collected after sexual assaults, often including DNA from the alleged perpetrators. At least 217 of those untested kits have now passed the statute of limitations for prosecution of the crimes, and are therefore useless."
http://www.feminist.org/news/newsbyte/uswirestory.asp?id=11348


I think I posted before about something like a 400,000 nation-wide backlog of unprocessed rape kits. This is one city, albeit a large city. Thousands. 217 are now useless, and there are no doubt rapist motherfuckers out doing what they do because of it.

All praise to the courage of women who come forward. I cry with you.

[bliss_eternal]

1. Horrible.

...A friend of mine (good friend) was raped in LA.
She didn't want to go forward, (knows what women go through all to well and wanted none of it)but other friends really pushed her to. She made the call. She had an exam, rape kit, pressed charges, worked with victim's rights, etc.--only to hear (from a female detective no less) that the evidence collected was "inconclusive" and the city/county wouldn't be prosecuting on her behalf. (In other words, they didn't think they could "win" and didn't want to 'waste funds.'):( :grr::mad:

By the way, the guy worked some level of law enforcement (security I think), and had a loaded gun during the assault. Wasn't clear on all the details immediately after and I didn't want to press her to talk when she was feeling raw. Later it was impossible to talk about, as she totally shut down when they told her they wouldn't prosecute.

I think I've spoke of this here before. Sorry to repeat. It makes me angry (and sadder than any words could express) to read that yet another facet of the system doesn't support women.

[ismnotwasm]

2. My husband looked at those numbers

(He's a great guy, can empathize well, better than anybody I've ever met, but he's still male)
And was shocked and appalled. When I use a-- to him- an abstract concept such as "rape culture" He can fall into to the "I'm not a rapist and I hate those who are" way of thinking. I pointed out there were 217 raped women who were not going to get justice, I could see the bewilderment, the "why" in his eyes things are the way they are. He didn't understand why there would be a "statue of limitations" on rape evidence. He listens to me, thank goodness and understands that this is a horror that taken for "normal" in our society, in other words, women should practically expect to be raped, or at the least a rape attempt. In a rape culture, that's what it does, makes the indefensible the "norm"


He loves and respects women, a very rare quality IMO, but he was raised in the world of male sexual entitlement.

These numbers are repeated in major cities across the nation, we hear about Alaska, and the "highest incidents of rape and incest" but so many don't HEAR, not on the level they need to understand.

I was listening to a male friend of mine yesterday, he's a Vet with severe PTSD from Vietnam--interesting man-- he was talking about working in a "rape and abuse" center in the '70's his mother was the director of. He worked some type of security. Paraphrasing a bit here, but I remember most of it as he said it--

"For you guys who think women have it easy in a male dominated society, that they get what they want, you don't have a fucking clue, you didn't see what I saw, I saw women come in so beaten and so raped they could barely move, and they had absolutely no recourse, and it was so common. And these guy would try to come in to get them, because you know because this was the '70's and there was no spousal rape, there was no domestic violence. Women took the blame for everything"

How rare is that? And that's one of the tragedies. Men not taking responsibility for rape culture, so when one steps up and does it, it's heart warming. I wish I could hear things like that every day instead every decade.