Wisconsin is among the recipients of a grant intended to clear the back log of rape kits, potentially leading to the prosecution of some and clearing the name of others accused of rape.
The money comes from settlements a New York prosecutor reached with international banks charged with violating sanctions. Much of the 800 million will go to local criminal justice programs in New York, however $38 million has been allocated to other cities and states to test rape kits that have been shelved for years or even decades.
The logic of spreading the wealth across the nation, according to the prosecutor, is that ‘rapists do not respect state lines…information from other states will ultimately help solve crimes in New York’. Detroit’s 2009 testing of thousands of languishing rape kits bears this theory out - the DNA matches found in the aging kits related to unsolved crimes in 23 states.
Testing the kits will not only lead to catching those guilty of sexual assault; DNA tests often serve to exonerate those falsely accused. Take the case of a Waukegan Illinois man convicted and imprisoned 20 years for a rape he apparently did not commit. His rape conviction was cleared after DNA eliminated him as the assailant.
The grants will be used to test DNA from thousands of kits accumulating dust in storerooms and will try to determine why backlogs developed in the first place in order to improve the process. Funds will also go toward investigation and prosecutions.
Thousands of rape kits remain untested and in police storage facilities in Milwaukee and the state of Wisconsin, a national organization that works on issues of sexual assault and family violence report. The expected 4 million in grant money earmarked for Wisconsin will certainly aid in the course of justice.
If you have been accused of rape, sexual assault, or internet sex crimes, contact the Law Offices of Andrew C. Ladd for help today.
Sources: New York Times, “New York City Prosecutor Using Millions Taken From Banks for Rape-Kit Testing”, by James McKinley JR., September 10, 2015.; Chicago Tribune, “Man Cleared in ’94 Rape Walks Out of Prison as 2nd Case Dropped”, by Mark Hinkel and Lisa Black, accessed September 11 2015. ; Milwaukee Journal Setinel, “Cops, Foundation Clash on Importance of Untested Rape Kits”, by Georgia Pabst, October. 6, 2014.
