The backlog of untested rape kits in the United States has been a significant barrier to justice for survivors of sexual assault, but recent efforts to address this issue have led to thousands of investigative breakthroughs and the identification and arrest of serial offenders.
Why Is There a Backlog of Rape Kit Testing?
The reasons for the backlog are multifaceted and have persisted for decades:
Resource Constraints: Testing a single rape kit can cost between $1,000 and $1,500, and many local crime labs lack the funding, equipment, or staff to process all kits in a timely manner17. Budget cuts and reduced staffing further exacerbate delays. (1011).
Lack of Clear Policies: Many jurisdictions historically lacked standardized protocols for submitting and testing rape kits. Decisions were often left to individual detectives, leading to inconsistent practices and the neglect of many cases. (69).
Law Enforcement Bias and Prioritization: Some police departments have not prioritized sexual assault cases, influenced by negative stereotypes, victim-blaming, or skepticism about the prosecutability of cases (3610).
Technological and Historical Factors: Some kits were collected before DNA technology was widely available or advanced enough to provide meaningful results. These kits were often stored for years or decades with the hope that future technology could yield more information (7).
Tracking and Accountability Issues: There has been no national system for tracking rape kits, leading to uncertainty about the true scale of the backlog. Many kits have languished in storage simply because their existence was not properly documented (98).
Statutes of Limitations: Delays in testing can mean that, by the time a kit is finally processed, the legal window for prosecution has closed, further denying justice to survivors (37).
The Impact of Testing Backlogged Rape Kits
Efforts to test backlogged rape kits have had a profound impact:
Thousands of CODIS Matches: Testing has led to over 15,700 matches in the FBI’s Combined DNA Index System (CODIS), directly linking evidence from sexual assaults to known offenders or connecting multiple unsolved cases (75).
Arrests and Convictions: These matches have resulted in the arrest of more than 8,200 serial violent offenders and 2,200 serial sex offenders, demonstrating that many perpetrators commit multiple crimes and could have been stopped sooner if kits were tested promptly (7).
Exonerations: In some cases, testing has also exonerated individuals who were wrongly convicted, highlighting the importance of DNA evidence for both justice and fairness (7).
Why “Justice Delayed Is Justice Denied”
When rape kits remain untested for years:
Survivors are denied closure and the opportunity to see their assailants held accountable.
Serial offenders remain free to commit additional crimes.
The statute of limitations may expire, making prosecution impossible even if a suspect is later identified (37).
Recent Reforms and Progress
Legislation and Funding: Many states have passed laws mandating the timely testing of rape kits, established tracking systems, and dedicated funds to clear backlogs and prevent them from recurring (118).
Federal Initiatives: National grant programs have provided over $1.3 billion to help states address backlogs and improve lab capacity (10).
Transparency and Accountability: New tracking systems allow survivors to follow the status of their kits and ensure agencies are held accountable for timely processing. (811).
Recent State Data Highlights
Maryland: As of mid-2024, Maryland reported more than 6,000 untested rape kits—one of the highest totals in the country. A new law requires all updates to be entered into a tracking system by December 31, 2025 (5).
Colorado: In early 2025, Colorado had a backlog of approximately 1,400 sexual assault cases, with a turnaround time for testing of more than 500 days. The state has launched a public dashboard to track progress and is outsourcing cases to private labs to accelerate testing (24).
Washington: By 2023, Washington announced it had cleared its historic backlog, testing over 10,000 kits and implementing a system to test every new kit within 45 days (4).
North Carolina: In 2022, North Carolina had the highest crime lab backlog with 9,045 untested kits. The state has since enacted strict timelines for kit submission and testing to prevent future backlogs (34).
Connecticut: Maintains a backlog-free status, testing 100% of its kits within 30 days as of 2022 (3).
Ongoing Backlogs in Other States: States such as Oregon, Louisiana, and Texas have seen increases in unsubmitted kits since 2018, with hundreds to thousands of kits still awaiting testing (3).
Systemic Challenges
Definitions Vary: States define “backlog” differently (e.g., kits untested for 30, 90, or 365 days), affecting reported numbers and complicating national comparisons (3).
Data Collection: Only 30 states and Washington, D.C., provided backlog data for 2022; many states lack comprehensive, up-to-date inventories (31).
Reform Efforts: Over the past decade, more than 33 states and D.C. have passed laws and allocated over $240 million to address the backlog, with new tracking systems and deadlines for kit testing (14).
Key Takeaways
The backlog persists in many states, with some reporting thousands of untested kits as of 2025.
Progress varies widely, with some states achieving rapid turnaround and others still struggling with delays and resource shortages.
New laws, funding, and tracking systems are helping to increase transparency and accountability, but the lack of standardized national reporting means the true size of the backlog remains uncertain (1345.)
In summary, while significant strides have been made, the rape kit backlog remains a pressing issue in 2025, with thousands of kits still awaiting testing in several states and continued efforts required to achieve timely justice for survivors.
Conclusion
The backlog of rape kit testing is a result of systemic failures—resource limitations, lack of protocols, and cultural biases within the justice system. However, as testing efforts have accelerated, the results have been transformative for public safety and justice, underscoring the urgent need to eliminate backlogs and institute reforms so that every survivor’s evidence is tested promptly and thoroughly. (679).
DISCLAIMER:
Information via Perplexity AI search with multiple sources for your review.
Is Rape Increasing in Frequency, or Are We Just Hearing More About It?
Reported Trends and Data
Reported Incidents Remain High: In 2025, over 204,000 sex offenses were reported in the U.S., with rape accounting for about 37% (over 75,000 cases) (2). Every 2.57 minutes, a sex offense is reported somewhere in the country2. Annually, there are over 433,000 cases of sexual assault or rape among people ages 12 and older in the U.S.(1).
Underreporting Remains a Major Issue: Most sexual assaults are not reported to police—only about 1 in 3 are reported, according to the Department of Justice (1). Thus, the true number of incidents is likely much higher.
Recent Increases May Reflect Awareness, Not Just Incidence: Some states have seen increases in reported rapes, which experts partially attribute to greater willingness to report following social movements like #MeToo, rather than a true surge in the crime rate (6). For example, university campuses have seen significant increases in reported rapes, which officials believe is partly due to increased awareness and reporting (6).
Drug-Facilitated Assault and Organized Filming
Drugging Victims: Drug-facilitated sexual assault is a well-documented and illegal phenomenon, with perpetrators using substances like alcohol, GHB, Rohypnol, and ketamine to incapacitate victims (37). Alcohol remains the most common substance used, but prescription and street drugs are also involved (37).
Cases of Organized, Filmed Assaults: While extremely rare, there are documented cases internationally of individuals drugging victims and inviting others to participate in and film the assaults for entertainment. For example, a high-profile French case involved a man drugging his wife and inviting dozens of men to rape her over years, recording and cataloguing the abuse (59). In South Korea, K-pop stars were convicted of gang raping, filming, and distributing videos of unconscious women (8). These cases are exceptional but highlight the existence of such crimes.
Are These Crimes Increasing or More Visible?
Visibility and Media Coverage: The rise in media coverage, survivor advocacy, and social media has made these crimes more visible, leading to the perception of an increase (16). Survivors are more likely to come forward, and the public is more likely to hear about high-profile or particularly egregious cases.
Data Limitations: Because of underreporting and changes in reporting behavior, it is difficult to determine with certainty whether the actual frequency of rape or drug-facilitated assaults is increasing, or if we are simply hearing about them more often due to improved reporting and awareness (16).
Summary Table: Rape and Reporting Trends
| Factor | Trend/Status (2025) |
|---|---|
| Total sex offenses reported | 204,055 (U.S., 2025)2 |
| Rape as % of sex offenses | 37% (over 75,000 cases)2 |
| Underreporting | 2 out of 3 cases go unreported1 |
| Reporting increases | Linked to #MeToo, awareness, not just incidence6 |
| Drug-facilitated assaults | Well-documented, ongoing concern37 |
| Organized/filmed assaults | Rare, but documented in high-profile cases589 |
Conclusion
There is no clear evidence that the actual frequency of rape is rapidly increasing; instead, increased reporting, survivor advocacy, and media attention are making these crimes more visible. Drug-facilitated assaults and rare cases of organized, filmed assaults have come to light through high-profile prosecutions, but these remain a small fraction of overall sexual violence.
The majority of sexual assaults are still perpetrated by someone the victim knows, and most go unreported (126).
The rise in reporting and visibility is a sign of progress in breaking the silence, but the underlying rates of sexual violence remain disturbingly high.
Note from Dr. Nancy
One of the reasons many people don’t bother to report sexual assault is the lack of interest and action (running the rape kit tests for example) expressed by medical personnel or law enforcement.
Hopefully testing, identifying, arresting and convicting violent sexual assault offenders will encourage more people to immediately report and document these atrocious crimes.
Rape involves a sexual act, but it is not a “sex act” in the sense of consensual, mutual sexual activity. It is an act of violence, coercion, and violation, and is treated as such by both the law and victim support organizations (1246) .
Penetrating another person’s body with anything, (regardless of prior consent, marital status, level of consciousness, lack of a “no”,etc), into any orifice, without enthusiastic verbal (YES) consent, is RAPE! Don’t let anyone try to gaslight you with any other definition.
“Annually, there are over 433,000 cases of sexual assault or rape among people ages 12 and older in the U.S. (1).”
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