U.S. flag
      An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.
        Here's how you know
      Here's how you know**Official websites use .gov**
            
            A **.gov** website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.
      **Secure .gov websites use HTTPS**
            
            A **lock** (
            A locked padlock
            ) or **https://** means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. Menu

      
        close

            
            
                                              About NIJ
        
                    
  
          About NIJ
      
    
          The NIJ Director
          How NIJ Is Organized
          Mission and Guiding Principles
          Research and Development Process
          Strategic Framework
          Assessments of NIJ
          Annual Reports & Reports to Congress
          Staff Directory
          Funding & Awards
        
                    
  
          Funding & Awards
      
    
          Current Funding
          Forthcoming Funding
          Expired Funding
          Awards: Listing of Funded Projects
          Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
          Fellowship & Student Programs
          Travel Scholarships
          NIJ Challenge Program
          Library & Multimedia
        
                    
  
          Library & Multimedia
      
    
          NIJ Journal
          Podcasts
          Publications Listing
          Multimedia Listing
          Rated Practices on CrimeSolutions
          Rated Programs on CrimeSolutions
          Software & Databases
          Datasets
          Patents
          Topics
        
                    
  
          Topics
      
    
          Article Listing
          Corrections
          Courts
          Crime Prevention
          Crimes
          Drugs and Crime
          Equipment and Technology
          Forensic Sciences
          Youth Justice
          Justice System Reform
          Law Enforcement
          Tribal Crime and Justice
          Victims of Crime
          Events
        
                    
  
          Events
      
    
          NIJ 2024 Research Conference
          Scheduled Events
          On-Demand Events
          Research Meetings & Workshops
          NIJ-Hosted Online Training

                            
                                About
          Contact Us
          Subscribe
          Topics A-Z
                  Share
FacebookXLinkedInRedditPinterestEmail Home
                            Library & Multimedia
 Sexual Assault Kit Backlog Study
NCJ Number
              238500

Author(s)
          Joseph Peterson;
                        Donald Johnson;
                        Denise Herz;
                        Lisa Graziano;
                        Taly Oehler
Date Published

March 2012
Length
              133 pages
Annotation
              This research study presents the findings of the Sexual Assault Kit Backlog Project, a project funded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) and executed by the California State University, Los Angeles (CSULA) to examine the issue of untested sexual assault kits (SAKs) in the city and county of Los Angeles.
Abstract
              Although law enforcement and hospitals have improved and expanded procedures to gather SAK evidence, scientific resources and procedures to test such evidence have not kept pace, and the resulting backlog of untested SAKs has become a major problem throughout the United States. In 2008, the untested SAKs in the city and county of Los Angeles reached 10,895. A study to document reasons for these untested kits found a number of organizational and resource deficiencies. Primarily, they were not the result of crime laboratory backlogs, but were untested due to the fact that investigators and prosecutors had not requested that they be tested. In 2009, the city and county law enforcement agencies announced that all backlogged kits would be tested. The untested sexual assault kit problem in Los Angeles, coupled with the fact that agencies had decided to test all such kits for the presence of DNA evidence, presented a unique research opportunity. The Sexual Assault Kit Backlog Project at CSULA, funded by the NIJ in 2009, was to accomplish four primary objectives: 1) evaluate the results of scientific tests performed by private laboratories on backlogged SAK evidence from the LASD and LAPD crime laboratories, 2) review the sexual assault case processing literature and the role played by evidence and other factors in solving and prosecuting such cases; 3) determine the criminal justice dispositions of a sample of backlogged and non-backlogged cases before and after kit testing; and 4) identify principal case and evidence characteristics that could be used by forensic laboratories to evaluate and prioritize sexual assault evidence submitted to crime laboratories. The accomplishment of these goals would aid all law enforcement agencies and crime laboratories about the value of testing backlogged SAKs and set guidelines for processing such evidence in the future.
      
  
          Additional Details
Grant Number(s)
        2006-DN-BX-0094


  
  
        
  Agencies
        NIJ-Sponsored


  
  
        
  Publication Type
        Report (Study/Research)


  
  
        
  Award
        The Role and Impact of Forensic Evidence on the Criminal Justice Process
    
  
  
Date Published: March 1, 2012
    
          Downloads
        
                      PDF

Related Datasets
        
                      http://dx.doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR33841
Side navigation
  

        

  
  
              NIJ Journal
    
      
            
            
            
      Podcasts
    
      
            
            
            
      Publications Listing
    
      
            
            
            
      Multimedia Listing
    
      
            
            
            
      Rated Practices on CrimeSolutions
    
      
            
            
            
      Rated Programs on CrimeSolutions
    
      
            
            
            
      Software & Databases
    
      
            
            
            
      Datasets
    
      
            
            
            
      PatentsRelated Topics
        
                Courts
        Crime laboratories
        Crime laboratory management
        Evaluation
        Evidence



  
Similar Publications
        
                      A Diagnosis of the Primary Difference between EuroForMix and STRmixTM
                  Technical Note – Analysis Of Marijuana And Marijuana Products
                  Enhancing Response to Victims: A Formative Evaluation of OVC’s Law Enforcement-Based Victim Services (LEV) Program
 Top

      National Institute of Justice

        
        
                        About NIJ
                    About NIJ
      
    
                  How NIJ Is Organized
      
    
                  NIJ Director
      
    
                  Research Disclaimer
      
    
                  Funding & Awards
                    Funding & Awards Home
      
    
                  Awards Listing
      
    
                  Current Funding
      
    
                  Guidance for Applicants and Awardees
      
    
                  Resources
                    Events
      
    
                  Podcasts
      
    
                  Publications
      
    
                  Topics
      
    
                  Multimedia
      
    
                  Reuse Policy
      
    
                  Contacts
                    Contact NIJ
      
    
                  Staff Directory
      
    
                  Submit a FOIA Request
      
    
                  File a Civil Rights ComplaintFacebook
          
                      X
          
                      YouTube
  

      810 7th St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20531
      
              Secondary Footer link menu
            Accessibility
              Plain Language
              Privacy Policy
              Legal Policies and Disclaimer
              No FEAR Act
              Freedom of Information Act
              USA.gov
              Justice.gov