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Rape Kits page - section: backlog In this article, our focus will be SAKs in police storage that have never been submitted to a forensic laboratory for DNA analysis, which the DOJ refers to as ‘‘untested/unsubmitted’’ SAKs; by contrast, ‘‘backlogged’’ SAKs are those that have been submitted to a lab but still await testing (Nelson, 2010; Ritter, 2011). Media and advocacy groups often use the term ‘‘backlog’’ to refer to SAKs in police property that have not been submitted for testing. Although the term backlog has intuitive meaning and appeal, we will be using the nomenclature recommended by the DOJ as it distinguishes kits not tested because police never submitted them to a lab for analysis (unsubmitted) from kits that have been submitted but await testing in a lab (backlogged) - (Campbell et al., 2015)

U.S. National Institute of Justice defines a backlogged case as one that has yet to be worked. Project FORESIGHT defines, through a consensus of forensic laboratories, as cases that remain unworked for 30 calendar days or more. This makes a practical difference: By one definition, as soon as a case is submitted to the laboratory, it becomes backlog; by the other, the laboratory has 30 days to work the case before it becomes backlogged - (Houck, 2020)

TEXT TO BE INSERTED The actual number of untested rape kits is currently undefined because there is no nationwide system set up to keep track of the cases (Campbell et al., 2015). This can be attributed to the lack of a common definition of backlog, which can relate to cases not worked within a month, or cases that have not been submitted to the forensic labs for analysis. (Houck, 2020) [2 potential edits]

Costs section: The U.S. government has provided significant funds to encourage jurisdictions to submit backlogged DNA material for laboratory analysis. By September 2016 the Bureau of Justice Assistance National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (BJA SAKI) had awarded over $38 million to jurisdictions so they could identify untested sexual assault kits, test them, and engage in follow-up criminal investigations [8]. BJA SAKI awarded additional funding of nearly $43 million to jurisdictions in fiscal year 2018 alone to test sexual assault kits and develop responses to the individual cases and to the contexts that gave rise to the problem.(Davis & Wells, 2019)

TEXT TO BE INSERTED In the United States, several organizations have pledged millions of dollars in grants to help fund the analysis of rape kits in forensic laboratories. (Davis & Wells, 2019) [potential edit]

Testing section TEXT TO BE INSERTED Due to the backlog of sexual assault cases, forensic scientists have been challenged with the task of determining how to process the sexual assault kits effectively and within the statute of limitation on assaults (Wang & Wein, 2018) [potential edit]

Sexual Assault page - section: post assault mistreatment of victims TEXT TO BE INSERTED A victim has already been through a traumatic event and it can be exacerbated the unwillingness of law enforcement to move their case along in the forensic testing process because law enforcement officials develop preconceived notions about the victims willingness to participate in the investigation. (Fallik & Wells, 2014)[potential edit]

Section - prevention Additionally, CODIS it is useful to check whether the qualifying offense sample was also a sexual assault, which would reveal a pattern of serial sexual offending. Using CODIS to compare backlogged rape kit tests can lead to prevention of future sexual assaults. (Campbell et al., 2016)

TEXT TO BE INSERTED Having the ability to have more kits forensically tested and results uploaded into CODIS (hyperlink) repeated sexual offenders can potentially be stopped before committing another sexual assault through DNA analysis evidence. (Campbell et al., 2016) [potential edit]

"The picture that emerges is that testing SAKs in a backlog can be viewed as a $1600 lottery with a small probability of a huge $11.4 M payoff (the payoff is $17.3 M if the SAK is tested at the time of the SA because more future SAs can be averted), which is the cost associated with averting 26.22 SAs, where the winning probability is the proportion of SAK tests that turn into a conviction" (Wang & Wein, 2018)

TEXT TO BE INSERTED The ability to test backlogged sexual assault cases and have the results uploaded into CODIS can have a positive effect on sexual assault prevention and reduce costs associated with a sexual assault. . (Wang & Wein, 2018) [potential edit]

Crime Labs page - Add section for Backlogged evidence issues in crime labs? A backlog is therefore more than a simple inefficiency, like a warehouse full of boxes, but rather is the cumulative historical result of inadequately supplied or poorly managed resource allocations (of any type, including things such as technology, training, and unfunded legislative mandates) and process changes. In the forensic laboratory, this asymptotic state results in a backlog, meaning backlogs are hysteretic in nature. New approaches to measuring input, process, output, and feedback are needed to reduce backlogs systematically and not mechanically (Houck, 2020)

TEXT TO BE INSERTED - end of the first paragraph under crime labs subsection Crime labs simply do not have the funding or personnel resources to keep up with the large influx of cases being brought into the laboratory, as well as the backlog of cases already in existence (Houck, 2020). [potential edit]

Due to the lack of funding and staff, delays in the ability to test cases have occurred creating a backlog in the analysis of evidence.