Adelaide
04-13-2018, 08:03 AM
With more than 225,000 untested rape kits found shelved, untested in police stations, survivors find themselves waiting for justice decades after an attack that they spend lifetimes trying not to think about.
HBO’s new documentary, I Am Evidence, brings these issues to the surface with the stories of four sexual assault survivors and the flimsy system built to respond to them...
The systemic apathy towards testing these kits, paired with surveillance footage of other attacks and one particularly frustrating scene of a woman being questioned in a courtroom about what she was wearing when she was attacked, underlines that this crisis developed because of how society sees women...
Michelle Brettin, the retired Ohio police officer who investigated Amberley’s case, said if every rape kit in the country were tested, she expected the DNA from Amberley’s rapist would turn up in other cases. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they found a body attached to it,” Brettin said.
Despite the overwhelming nature of the problem, which sees someone in the US sexually assaulted every 98 seconds, the women interviewed cut an inspiring image of resilience and bravery.
“The film is really dedicated to the people most affected by the issue, which is the survivors,” said Adlesic. “We’re here to help change this but we really wanted their voice to be the voice of the film, and it is.”
I am Evidence: The Shocking Film on the Truth About Untested Rape Kits - The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/apr/13/i-am-evidence-the-shocking-film-on-the-truth-about-untested-kits)
Before the gender politics start, the number this article cites is not accurate. The estimate is closer to 500,000 according to reports from the AG's office. Crime laboratories complete about one million DNA analyses per year because they have to log convicted criminals as well as other crimes. There are not enough trained professionals who are able to conduct the analyses - those who are trained, aren't going to work for the salary offered by crime labs. There is not enough equipment to analyze every sample. Etc.
These are all issues we could work on. The 2003 Report to the Attorney General on Delays in Forensic DNA Analysis offers numerous methods to reduce the backlog and not many of them have been implemented.
A good place to start might be to prioritize sex and violent crimes. Another would be to pay forensic scientists a good wage. Encouraging training and this career path could also be pursued with students. So on.
There is no reason women (and men) shouldn't be getting justice, or that repeat offenders should be able to assault more people because a rape kit has remained untested for decades.
HBO’s new documentary, I Am Evidence, brings these issues to the surface with the stories of four sexual assault survivors and the flimsy system built to respond to them...
The systemic apathy towards testing these kits, paired with surveillance footage of other attacks and one particularly frustrating scene of a woman being questioned in a courtroom about what she was wearing when she was attacked, underlines that this crisis developed because of how society sees women...
Michelle Brettin, the retired Ohio police officer who investigated Amberley’s case, said if every rape kit in the country were tested, she expected the DNA from Amberley’s rapist would turn up in other cases. “I wouldn’t be surprised if they found a body attached to it,” Brettin said.
Despite the overwhelming nature of the problem, which sees someone in the US sexually assaulted every 98 seconds, the women interviewed cut an inspiring image of resilience and bravery.
“The film is really dedicated to the people most affected by the issue, which is the survivors,” said Adlesic. “We’re here to help change this but we really wanted their voice to be the voice of the film, and it is.”
I am Evidence: The Shocking Film on the Truth About Untested Rape Kits - The Guardian (https://www.theguardian.com/film/2018/apr/13/i-am-evidence-the-shocking-film-on-the-truth-about-untested-kits)
Before the gender politics start, the number this article cites is not accurate. The estimate is closer to 500,000 according to reports from the AG's office. Crime laboratories complete about one million DNA analyses per year because they have to log convicted criminals as well as other crimes. There are not enough trained professionals who are able to conduct the analyses - those who are trained, aren't going to work for the salary offered by crime labs. There is not enough equipment to analyze every sample. Etc.
These are all issues we could work on. The 2003 Report to the Attorney General on Delays in Forensic DNA Analysis offers numerous methods to reduce the backlog and not many of them have been implemented.
A good place to start might be to prioritize sex and violent crimes. Another would be to pay forensic scientists a good wage. Encouraging training and this career path could also be pursued with students. So on.
There is no reason women (and men) shouldn't be getting justice, or that repeat offenders should be able to assault more people because a rape kit has remained untested for decades.