This episode of the Justice Today podcast discusses the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI).
This episode of the Justice Today podcast, with guest Amy Hutsell, program director of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council in Georgia, discusses the role that the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) has played in obtaining justice for victims of sexual assault nationwide. SAKI funding has helped the state of Georgia process a backlog of sexual assault kits, which led to the identification and conviction of a serial rapist who had lived in plain sight for over a decade, preying on vulnerable women. At the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA), staff work all year to deliver justice to sexual assault survivors through SAKI, a vital program that helps give voice to survivors of sexual assault and brings violent offenders to justice by providing funds to process unsubmitted sexual assault kits. Unsubmitted sexual assault kits pose a challenge to many law enforcement agencies nationwide that lack the resources and capacity to process them. This means that crucial DNA evidence—evidence that could be used to solve cold cases and prevent future assaults—is unknown to investigators. Since its inception, SAKI has helped jurisdictions across the country close sexual assault cases by testing more than 85,700 sexual assault kits, which has led to more than 1,640 convictions. SAKI programs exist in more than 25 states, representing approximately 58 percent of the U.S. population. In addition to helping close rape cases, grantees can use SAKI funds on other unsolved sexually motivated crimes.