This article brought to light an issue that I had no idea existed. Apparently there is a huge lack of funds for testing rape kits. There have been too many instances where a person is raped, goes to the hospital to get a rape kit, and then the kit sits on a shelf for years because the hospital does not have the funds to complete the testing. In this article, the author brings up a case in 2009 when the Detroit Police Department discovered 11,303 untested rape kits in Detroit hospitals. A Detroit county prosecutor then made it her personal mission to get all of these kits tested. In the following years, 600 of these kits were tested and the results were astonishing. The police discovered evidence of 21 serial rapists. Included in these rapists was a man who raped and murdered three women over a period of 7 seven years. While this man was out raping and killing women, the rape kits with his DNA were sitting on a shelf, untested. Had the kits been tested immediately, these women’s lives could have been saved.
According to this post, a rape kit costs $1200 and $1500 to test. Clearly, this is no small bill. Fortunately, non-profit organizations have been set up to collect funds for rape testing kits. I think it would be great if these organizations could raise more awareness about this problem. I personally am shocked that this is the first time I have heard about this issue. By spreading this knowledge, I think kit testing funds will increase dramatically and quickly.
