Study shows over 25K rape kits in the United States are backlogged

New reports show that backlogged rape kits are leaving victims all over the United States waiting for answers.

USAFacts found that more than 25,000 kits from 30 states are still waiting to be tested -- but the actual number of rape kits waiting to be tested is still unknown. According to USAFacts, 20 states have denied, unanswered, or have data pending when it comes to the number of rape kits that are backlogged.

The Congressional Research Service has estimated that throughout the nation, there are 90,000 to 400,000 rape kits waiting to be tested. These numbers represent that backlogs are happening either in crime labs or with law enforcement. The numbers are unclear, as each state has different protocols for their backlogged kits.

The U.S. Department of Justice has noted that possible factors for backlogs include victim-blaming attitudes and actions, budget cuts and reduced crime lab staff, and bias against women and victims of sex crimes.

---> Click here to see if there are any convicted sex offenders in your area.

When it comes to the city of Detroit, additional research is underway to better understand sexual assaults, specifically serial assaults.

The National Institute of Justice reports that sexual assault kits, also known as SAKs, are broken into four testing groups in Detroit: Stranger-perpetrated sexual assault; non-stranger-perpetrated sexual assault; cases presumed to be beyond the statute of limitations; and a comparison of traditional vs. selective degradation DNA-testing methods.

The NIJ states that out of 1,596 kits that have been tested during a sponsored research project in 2013, nearly half -- about 785 kits -- had DNA that was uploaded to the Combined DNA Index System. Officials say out of those 785 kits, there were 455 “hits” -- which means that about 28% of the SAKs had DNA identification of a potential suspect. Out of the 455 potential suspects, about 125 individuals were identified as serial assaulters.

Click here to view Detroit’s SAK testing plan.

While there are tens of thousands of SAKs still waiting to be tested, USAFacts reports that they have seen a decrease in backlogs. According to the statistic company, the federal government has recently spent over $1 billion to clear rape kit backlogs.

Below is USAFacts’ list of backlog changes between 2018 and 2022 for the 30 states that reportedly have over 25,000 kits backlogged.

Backlog in law enforcement change by state (20182 → 2022)

1. Texas = 45% (216 → 313)
2. Oregon = 39% (317 → 441)
3. Louisiana =37% (87 → 119)
4. Maryland = 10% (3,263 → 3,599)
5. Montana = 8% (84 → 91)
6. Pennsylvania = 6% (151 → 160)
7. California = 1% (185 → 187)
8. Massachusetts = -7% (2,497 → 2,319)
9. New York = -11% (46 → 41)
10. New Jersey = -36% (535 → 340)
11. Kentucky = -61% (198 → 78)
12. Washington = -90% (5,855 → 585)
13. West Virginia = -91% (223 → 20)
14. Michigan = -95% (637 → 30)
15. North Carolina = -99% (15,265 → 113)
16. New Hampshire = -99% (582 → 1)
17. Alaska = -100% (2,568 → 0)

Backlog in crime labs change by state

1. North Carolina = 3700% (238 → 9,045)
2. Oregon = 2533% (30 → 790)
3. West Virginia = 1324% (21 → 299)
4. Louisiana = 597% (102 → 711)
5. North Dakota = 412% (33 → 169)
6. Texas = 34% (1,079 → 1,451)
7. Vermont = 19% (16 → 19)
8. Kentucky = 18% (510 → 600)
9. California = 0% (113 → 113)
10. Maryland = -29% (217 → 154)
11. Massachusetts = -39% (3,595 → 2,206)
12. Washington = -46% (2,200 → 1,191)
13. Idaho = -62% (465 → 179)
14. Michigan = -63% (690 → 254)
15. Alaska = -66% (219 → 75)
16. Iowa = -69% (324 → 99)
17. Georgia = -73% (1,533 → 420)
18. Pennsylvania = -82% (94 → 17)
19. Wyoming = -97% (35 → 1)
20. *NR. New Mexico (0 → 30)
21. *NR. Connecticut (0 → 0)
22. *NR. South Dakota (0 → 0)

* 3 states could not be ranked from zero

To learn more about how backlogs are a dynamic system problem, not a warehousing problem, click here.

According to Michigan.gov, about 85% of sexual assault incidents happen by someone the survivor knows. Perpetrators can target both men and women of all ages. With that in mind, the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network reports that every 68 seconds, an American is sexually assaulted -- and only 25 out of every 1,000 perpetrators will end up behind bars.

It can take a survivor a while to come forward with what has happened to them. Sometimes, a trauma response will leave those with a freeze, fight or flight response.

Read: Michigan resources you can use to help survivors during Sexual Assault Awareness Month