AG mandates all rape kits submitted to law enforcement to be tested following KIYC investigation

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A Kane In Your Corner investigation has led to a permanent change in how New Jersey treats sexual assault survivors. Attorney General Matthew Platkin has issued a directive that will require New Jersey law enforcement to test all rape kits that survivors release to law enforcement, including kits that were previously untested. Kane In Your Corner began investigating New Jersey’s treatment of sexual assault survivors in 2021; treatment which some said made them feel like they’d been victimized all over again. Survivors said they didn't believe their cases were taken seriously and, for some, the proof was that prosecutors didn't even bother to test the DNA evidence in their Sexual Assault Forensic Examination (SAFE) kits. "I expected once I released it, for it to at least be tested," said one survivor, who News 12 agreed to identify only as "Jane." "If he's doing this to me on a first date, how many other women has he done that to this week?” New Jersey was one of just a dozen states that allowed prosecutors to override survivors' wishes and decline to test a rape kit. Kane In Your Corner found that thousands of kits were just collecting dust. For years, New Jersey made the misleading claim that it had "no backlog" of untested kits because it didn't consider kits that prosecutors chose not to test to be backlogged. From March 2023 until now, Kane In Your Corner did 16 separate investigative reports, including a half-hour primetime documentary, "Victims of the System.” RELATED: KIYC learns NJ attorney general is considering directive for all rape kits to be tested MORE: Kane In Your Corner - Victims of the System special Now there really will be no backlog. Under Platkin's directive, all new SAFE kits will have to be tested. All previously untested kits dating back to 2019 will have to be tested by April 2025 and all untested kits, regardless of how old, will have to be tested by the end of 2025. Those who advocate for sexual assault survivors were thrilled with the news. "I’ve always asked 'Why are we collecting these kits if we’re not testing them?' Why would we put survivors through that?” says Ilse Knecht, director of policy and advocacy for the Joyful Heart Foundation. "It's really wonderful that the attorney general has gotten behind the idea that testing all rape kits is the right thing to do." The directive is just one of several reforms that are in the works. Legislation that would codify the mandate to test all kits has been introduced, and one of the sponsors credits Kane In Your Corner for demonstrating why it was necessary. "I think your reporting on this is just outstanding," said Sen. Joe Cryan (D - Union). "You've highlighted an issue, you've forced it forward, and you are going to make New Jersey do the things that should have been done previously. And I appreciate that. That's what great journalism is all about." "