Working to eradicate backlog of rape kits awaiting tests
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File photo: A forensic analyst works on evidence in a sexual assault case in the biology lab at the Houston Forensic Science Center. Delaware has implemented a new policy that sets time limits for when rape exam kits must be tested. (Pat Sullivan/AP Photo, file)
Rape kits contain DNA evidence that can identify an unknown assailant, confirm a survivor’s account of the attack, and exonerate an innocent suspect.
Trying to rein in the backlog of untested rape kits is the goal of Ilse Knecht, director of policy and advocacy at End the Backlog, an initiative of the Joyful Heart Foundation.
She joined NewsWorks Tonight’s Dave Heller to discuss Pennsylvania’s backlog, primarily in Philadelphia, and what other states are doing to keep their numbers low.
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NewsWorks Tonight was a daily radio show and podcast that ran from 2011-2018. It is no longer in production, but the show's archive is available online.