Unbelievable: The forgotten rape data
How shelved data from rape cases in America is helping the police catch criminals now.
More or Less · BBC Radio 4
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Show Notes
In the United States, some police jurisdictions didn’t send off DNA evidence from people who were raped for testing in a crime lab and for uploading into a national criminal database. Instead, the sets of evidence, known as rape kits, were sat on shelves and in warehouses.
It’s estimated that hundreds of thousands need processing. In this edition, Ruth Alexander explores how some jurisdictions are testing the kits now and using the data to catch criminals.
Producer: Darin Graham Presenter: Ruth Alexander
(Untested sexual assault kits on warehouse shelves. Image: courtesy Joyful Heart Foundation)