Pennsylvania needs to devote serious attention to a large backlog of untested rape kits, according to the State Auditor General.
“Pennsylvania has more than 3,000 rape kits awaiting testing,” Auditor General Eugene DePasquale said Wednesday. “Of those, nearly 2,000 are backlogged, meaning that they have been waiting more than a year to be tested.”
DePasquale issued a 67-page special report stemming from an eight-month review that includes ten recommendations for immediate actions to ensure justice for rape victims.
Among those recommendations are improved communication to limit incorrect counts of backlogged kits, as well as devoting more resources to follow up on testing.
“Among our recommendations are that stakeholders convene immediately to discuss what resources they need, particularly from the state, to be able to effectively communicate how local law enforcement agencies are able to handle rape-kits and to pay for all of these kits to be tested,” he explained.
According to DePasquale, around 95 percent of rapists are serial rapists so testing these kits from past attacks should help prevent future rapes.
Written By: Ryan Saeler
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