Attorney General Brad Schimel announced Wednesday that the Department of Justice will launch a website designed to keep the public updated on the status of the state’s sexual assault kit backlog.
When an individual goes to a hospital facility after being sexually assaulted, a sexual assault evidence kit, also known as a rape kit, is usually created. The kit consists of samples of DNA and other pieces of evidence.
Decades of backlog have led to 6,000 untested sexual assault kits in Wisconsin.
Since these kits are sometimes collected years before a victim decides they want to report or take legal action against an offender, many kits accumulate or go untested.
As part of their effort to end the backlog and test all kits, the DOJ will update the public and answer questions through their new website.
The website will allow for the public to see the progress of what stage the kit testing is in, as well as court dates for sexual assault offenders. It also provides a detailed description
Testing the kits is the beginning of a long process
“Now, in less than three years, DOJ and local law enforcement will process all previously unsubmitted kits and bring justice to sexual assault survivors after years of delay under previous administrations,” Schimel said.
