Warning: Constant ABSPATH already defined in /home/flanews/public_html/wp-config.php on line 34
Capitol News Service » Blog Archive » Bill Aims to Prevent Another Rape Kit Backlog

Welcome to

Capitol News Service

Florida's Best Political Coverage on Television

Bill Aims to Prevent Another Rape Kit Backlog

January 26th, 2016 by flanews

More than 13,000 rape kits across the state sit untested, creating an alarming backlog and calls from elected officials to solve the problem. As Matt Galka tells us, lawmakers trying to tackle the issue say it starts with testing new kits in a timely manner.

 

Thousands of rape kits should be tested in Florida according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.  But a backlog in testing is potentially keeping criminals on the streets. Sen. Lizbeth Benacquisto (R-Ft. Myers) says she wants to prevent that in the future.

“This is intended to make sure that, going forward, all kits that are collected are tested and submitted in a timely manner and tested in a timely manner,” she said.

Her bill cleared the Senate Criminal Justice committee Monday.  It requires law enforcement to submit rape kits within 21 days of examination.

“I just thank you for the opportunity to move this bill forward and to send a very strong message to victims that the evidence that will bring their victimizers to justice matters,” she said to the committee.

Advocates say the bill is necessary in order to prevent another backlog from happening.

Jennifer Dritt on the Florida Council Against Sexual Violence says the current backlog and stopping a new one are two separate issues – but they’re connected

“You can’t just process the backlog you currently have you have to ensure that it doesn’t happen going forward,” she said.

How much money lawmakers put in the budget will ultimately determine how many of the kits can be analyzed

“You’ve seen chair Negron be very aggressive to make sure that we have the funding that we need to clear that backlog and it’s done in a much shorter timeline,” said Sen. Benacquisto.

The kits cost between $1,000 and $1,500 dollars to be tested…and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement estimates it could take up to eight years to complete.  A timeline that some lawmakers have called unacceptable.

Posted in State News | Comments Off on Bill Aims to Prevent Another Rape Kit Backlog

Comments are closed.

copyright © 2016 by Capitol News Service | Powered by Wordpress | Hosted by LyonsHost.com