O ver the past few years policymakers have shown an interest in addressing the backlog of testing of sexual assault kits (SAKs, also ref erred to as "rape kits") in many jurisdictions across the United States. The backlog of SAKs has raised concerns over justice for assault victims and that additional victimizations could have been prevented had the evidence from any given kit been tested and the perpetrator apprehended in a timely manner. This report provides background on the SAK backlog and information on federal efforts to reduce it. SAKs include tools used by a nurse examiner or another trained professional to collect evidence during a forensic medical exam of a sexual assault victim. Many jurisdictions create their own sexual assault evidence collection kits while others purchase them from commercial vendors. As such, the content of a kit can vary across jurisdictions. In general, sexual assault evidence collection kits include (1) instructions; (2) bags, sheets, and envelopes for evidence collection; (3) swabs for collecting fluids or secretions that could contain a perpetrator's DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid); (4) a comb for collecting hair samples; (5) blood collection devices; and (6) documentation forms. A forensic medical exam involves collecting a complete medical history from the victim and completing a full-body physical examination. This may include collecting blood, urine, hair, and other body secretion samples; photo documentation of any injuries sustained during the assault; collecting the victim's clothing, especially undergarments; and securing any possible physical evidence that may have transferred onto the victim from the crime scene. Upon completion of forensic medical exams, kits are transferred to law enforcement, who log the kits into evidence. Procedure and protocol regarding when and where kits are sent, however, vary across jurisdictions. Some law enforcement agencies automatically send the kits to forensic laboratories for testing while others wait for varying amounts of time, in some cases depending on when/if a police officer or prosecutor requests forensic analysis. Laboratories also vary on how items are screened, which items are tested, and the length of time taken to complete testing. In a 2007 study of crime laboratories in the United States, over 75% of laboratories reported that DNA analysis requests were completed within four months or less while the other 25% required more than four months to complete the analysis. Twenty laboratories reported that more than nine months were needed. Evidence obtained through a rape kit can be used for several criminal justice purposes. It may be used to establish elements of a crime including the time at which an alleged attack occurred. It can establish a DNA link between two individuals, and this link may help identify, convict, or exonerate an offender in court. Evidence may also be stored in DNA databases for use in other cases. Forensic testing of SAK evidence can take several days. In some cases, rape kits remain in police custody and are not submitted to a laboratory for testing. In others, kits may be submitted to the laboratory but remain untested. The latter is generally referred to as a "backlog." When people refer to a "rape kit backlog," they are referring either to untested kits that reside with law enforcement having never been submitted to a laboratory for testing, or to untested kits that have been submitted to crime labs but are delayed for testing for longer than 30 days. Some research organizations state that the problem more typically resides with those kits that were submitted to a crime laboratory but remain untested; however, the definition of backlog appears to vary across jurisdictions. For example, in a study of the Detroit rape kit backlog, over 75% of the 11,219 backlogged kits had never been submitted to a laboratory for testing (see " Detroit Project "). While the status and location of the kits vary, the binding element of the backlogged kits is that they have never been tested. Rape kits remain untested for several reasons including limited resources of laboratories and law enforcement as well as police discretion. In some cases involving older rape kits, the statute of limitations may have expired. Some forensic laboratories face backlogs not only for SAKs but also other types of DNA evidence collected at crime scenes such as hair and blood samples. As demand for DNA testing rises with increasing awareness of its potential to help solve cases, so does the increase in demand for resources from both law enforcement and laboratories. Law enforcement agencies and laboratories have a shortage of resources to manage backlogs of rape kits, and this may be magnified during times of increased fiscal austerity. There is no standard cost to test a rape kit, as this seems to vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. The Joyful Heart Foundation, an organization that advocates for the elimination of SAK backlogs, reports that it costs between $1,000 and $1,500 to test a rape kit. The National Center for Victims of Crime reports that it costs between $400 and $1,500 to test a kit. Police may opt not to pursue a forensic investigation due to a variety of reasons including perception of victim cooperation or consideration that the results of the kit would not be pertinent to the overall investigation. Not all evidence collected in an alleged sexual assault has probative value. If consent is an issue in a particular case (the suspect admits sexual contact but contends it was consensual), detectives may consider that the SAK does not add any essential information to the investigation. Also, evidence may not be sent to a lab for analysis if charges against the alleged perpetrator have been dropped or the suspect has pled guilty. Some law enforcement agencies might not submit SAKs to crime laboratories because the identity of the perpetrator was not in question from the beginning of the investigation, detectives identified the suspect through other evidence not included in the kit, or the victim chose not to proceed with the case. SAKs might not be submitted to a lab because police may not understand the potential value of testing SAKs. In 2009, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) reported that 44% of law enforcement agencies did not submit SAKs for testing because a suspect had not been identified, and 15% did not submit SAKs because analysis had not been requested by a prosecutor. In addition, procedures for analyzing the evidence collected using SAKs can vary from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. In some jurisdictions, all sexual assault evidence collection kits are forwarded to a crime laboratory for analysis. In other jurisdictions, it may be months or even years before the kit is tested, if at all. Some law enforcement agencies might have a problem working through their backlog of old kits because crime laboratories are operating at full capacity analyzing DNA evidence collected from current cases. According to NIJ , "it is unknown how many unanalyzed [SAKs] there are nationwide." NIJ notes that while there are many reasons for why there are no data on the number of untested SAKs in law enforcement's possession, one contributing factor is that there is no national system for collecting these data. Also, tracking and counting SAKs is an antiquated process in many jurisdictions (often done in non-electronic formats), and the availability of computerized evidence-tracking systems has been an issue for many jurisdictions for years. One grassroots organization addressed the data void by attempting to count the backlog (through public records requests) and track data in cities and states across the country. While the organization's data are incomplete, they have some estimates of rape kit backlogs for various cities and states. Thus far, the Joyful Heart Foundation has identified approximately 40 municipal and county jurisdictions with known rape kit backlogs ranging from several hundred to thousands of rape kits. The discovery of hundreds or even thousands of untested SAKs might lead to calls for all of the kits to be tested; however, this might not be the most efficient use of limited resources. There are several issues that might be considered when working through a backlog of untested kits, including the following: Should all SAKs be tested, even the ones that might be from cases that are a couple of decades old, or should there be a triage process to determine which SAKs will be tested? Should evidence be tested in cases in which the statute of limitations has expired? Do law enforcement agencies give preference to testing kits in cases in which someone was assaulted by a stranger as opposed to sexual assaults perpetrated by an acquaintance? Do police and prosecutors have the resources they need to follow up on all of the leads that could be generated from widespread testing of backlogged SAKs? Should all victims be notified about the results of their SAK tests? If so, how and when should victims be notified? Should victims have a say in whether their SAKs will be tested? How will victims be linked with services, if needed? In recent years, the federal government has addressed the SAK backlog by providing financial support, conducting or funding research to address the backlog, and testing a limited number of SAKs from local law enforcement agencies that had not been submitted previously. In FY2015, Congress appropriated $41 million for the Community Teams to Reduce the Sexual Assault Evidence Kit Backlog and Improve Sexual Assault Investigations program. Administered by the Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Assistance, the goal of the program is to create a "coordinated community response that ensures just resolution to these cases whenever possible through a victim-centered approach, as well as to build jurisdictions' capacity to prevent the development of conditions that lead to high numbers of unsubmitted SAKs in the future." The program provides funding to state and local governments to help address the backlog, test, and track SAKs; create and report performance metrics; access training to increase effectiveness in addressing complex issues involved with SAKs and associated cases; engage in multidisciplinary policy development, implementation, and coordination; and improve practices related to the criminal justice process and victim engagement and support. NIJ also provides funding to state and local crime laboratories through its DNA Backlog Reduction program.