Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
The Debbie Smith Act (DNA Backlog Grant Program)
In my opinion we need to keep an eye on this - and contact the Congresscritters to remind them to vote 'yes' to reauthorize the program and ask for an increase in funding!
---
Debbie Smith Act
The Debbie Smith Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 13701) provides United States federal government grants to eligible states and units of local government to conduct DNA analyses of backlogged DNA samples collected from victims of crimes and criminal offenders. The Act expands the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) and provides legal assistance to survivors of dating violence. Named after sexual assault survivor Debbie Smith, the Act was passed by the 108th Congress as part of larger legislation, the Justice for All Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-405), and signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 30, 2004. The Act amends the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 14135), the DNA Identification Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 14132) and the Violence Against Women Act of 2000. The Act was reauthorized in 2008, extending the availability of DNA backlog reduction program grants, DNA evidence training and education program grants, and sexual assault forensic exam program grants through fiscal year 2014.
-snip-
-snip-
-snip-
Evaluations of Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program
Investigations conducted by CBS News and by Human Rights Watch have revealed that despite five years and millions in federal funding, rape kit backlogs persist in the United States and have increased in several grant supported states and counties.[5][6] According to a 2009 CBS News investigation, at least 20,000 untested rape kits were being held in four major U.S. cities and an additional twelve major cities had no idea how many rape kits remained untested in law enforcement storage facilities.[7] An October 2008 audit of the Los Angeles city crime lab by Human Rights Watch revealed that rape kit backlogs increased between 2004 and 2008, despite nearly $4 million in Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Program grants. In January 2007, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) revealed that approximately 5,000 rape kits resided in LAPD storage facilities. By July 2008 the backlog grew to 7,300, but was later estimated at 5,193 by a February 2009 audit.[8]
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the research arm of the U.S. Department of Justice, has also conducted research into the continued development of the DNA forensic evidence backlog. In their research, the NIJ tracked the processing of the two main types of DNA evidence: "casework" DNA and "convicted offender and arrestee" DNA.[9] Casework DNA refers to DNA samples collected from crime scenes, victims and suspects in criminal cases,[10] while convicted offender and arrestee DNA refers to samples taken in accordance with state and federal laws for entry into the Federal Bureau of Investigation's CODIS system.[11] In a 2010 survey, the NIJ found that the nationwide casework DNA backlog exceeded 111,500 samples, a substantial increase over the 38,000 cases considered to be backlogged in a 2005 Bureau of Justice Statistics survey.[12] Convicted offender and arrestee DNA samples have experienced even more substantial backlogging according to the NIJ, although there is a larger number of convicted offender and arrestee samples sent for processing.[13] Regardless, a 2009 NIJ study found that the year-end backlog of convicted offender and arrestee samples had reached over 950,000 samples, almost the equivalent of an entire year's capacity for the nation's crime laboratories.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debbie_Smith_Act
The Debbie Smith Act of 2004 (42 U.S.C. 13701) provides United States federal government grants to eligible states and units of local government to conduct DNA analyses of backlogged DNA samples collected from victims of crimes and criminal offenders. The Act expands the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) and provides legal assistance to survivors of dating violence. Named after sexual assault survivor Debbie Smith, the Act was passed by the 108th Congress as part of larger legislation, the Justice for All Act of 2004 (P.L. 108-405), and signed into law by President George W. Bush on October 30, 2004. The Act amends the DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000 (42 U.S.C. 14135), the DNA Identification Act of 1994 (42 U.S.C. 14132) and the Violence Against Women Act of 2000. The Act was reauthorized in 2008, extending the availability of DNA backlog reduction program grants, DNA evidence training and education program grants, and sexual assault forensic exam program grants through fiscal year 2014.
-snip-
-snip-
-snip-
Evaluations of Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Grant Program
Investigations conducted by CBS News and by Human Rights Watch have revealed that despite five years and millions in federal funding, rape kit backlogs persist in the United States and have increased in several grant supported states and counties.[5][6] According to a 2009 CBS News investigation, at least 20,000 untested rape kits were being held in four major U.S. cities and an additional twelve major cities had no idea how many rape kits remained untested in law enforcement storage facilities.[7] An October 2008 audit of the Los Angeles city crime lab by Human Rights Watch revealed that rape kit backlogs increased between 2004 and 2008, despite nearly $4 million in Debbie Smith DNA Backlog Program grants. In January 2007, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) revealed that approximately 5,000 rape kits resided in LAPD storage facilities. By July 2008 the backlog grew to 7,300, but was later estimated at 5,193 by a February 2009 audit.[8]
The National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the research arm of the U.S. Department of Justice, has also conducted research into the continued development of the DNA forensic evidence backlog. In their research, the NIJ tracked the processing of the two main types of DNA evidence: "casework" DNA and "convicted offender and arrestee" DNA.[9] Casework DNA refers to DNA samples collected from crime scenes, victims and suspects in criminal cases,[10] while convicted offender and arrestee DNA refers to samples taken in accordance with state and federal laws for entry into the Federal Bureau of Investigation's CODIS system.[11] In a 2010 survey, the NIJ found that the nationwide casework DNA backlog exceeded 111,500 samples, a substantial increase over the 38,000 cases considered to be backlogged in a 2005 Bureau of Justice Statistics survey.[12] Convicted offender and arrestee DNA samples have experienced even more substantial backlogging according to the NIJ, although there is a larger number of convicted offender and arrestee samples sent for processing.[13] Regardless, a 2009 NIJ study found that the year-end backlog of convicted offender and arrestee samples had reached over 950,000 samples, almost the equivalent of an entire year's capacity for the nation's crime laboratories.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debbie_Smith_Act
A related film...