HomeTop StoriesWisconsin received millions to test rape kits. Only 10 offenders have been...

Wisconsin received millions to test rape kits. Only 10 offenders have been convicted.

Wisconsin has received $9.5 million in federal grants since 2015 to test and eliminate its rape kit backlog and improve reporting and services for victims.

One of the main goals of the program, known as the National Sexual Assault Kit Initiative, was to hold offenders accountable.

But a USA TODAY investigation shows that this rarely happens.

The country’s backlog of rape kits first became public more than a decade ago. One study estimated that there were between 300,000 and 400,000 untested kits in the U.S.

The kits contain evidence of a reported sexual assault. A trained nurse performs the hours-long, invasive exam, collecting evidence from a victim, such as dried swabs of saliva, semen and blood. The evidence can then be tested for DNA.

The federal grants were intended to facilitate testing of the kits, provide answers to victims and identify serial rapists.

In Wisconsin, only 10 people have been convicted of sex crimes as a result of the rape kit initiative, the USA TODAY report said.

Here are some additional key findings from the research:

More than 2,300 rape kits in Wisconsin were not tested, even with federal grant money

In 2023, the Wisconsin Department of Justice had 6,841 sexual assault kits in stock.

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Officers designated 4,475 kits for testing.

The remaining 2,300 kits were not tested because the victim did not consent to the test or because charges had already been filed in the case, the Wisconsin Department of Justice told USA TODAY.

READ THE FULL STUDY: America Tested 100,000 Forgotten Rape Kits. But Justice Remains Elusive.

More than 1,500 rape kit tests led to further investigation in the state

Of the kits tested, more than 1,500 were linked to further research.

More than 600 kits had a hit in the national CODIS database, meaning the DNA collected in the kit was linked to a known offender or suspect whose DNA was on file from a prior conviction.

State agents have referred 48 cold cases to district attorneys

According to the Wisconsin Department of Justice, agents have referred 48 cases from the test project to local prosecutors for prosecution.

But prosecutors have filed charges in only 23 of those cases, and so far 10 have ended in convictions.

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The convictions include three in Dane County, one in Kenosha County, one in Jackson County, two in Milwaukee County, one in Oneida County, one in Rock County and one in Waupaca County.

Only 105 victims contacted out of more than 4,400 kits sent for testing

In Wisconsin, officials say they have contacted only 105 of the 4,475 test kits sent out, about 2%.

Victim notification is particularly sensitive when testing kits that are years old. For one person it can be re-traumatizing. For another it can provide a form of closure.

USA TODAY examined victim notification rates for 14 agencies with early grants and the most complete notification statistics, comparing the number of victims contacted to the number of kits sent in for testing. The ratio doesn’t account for the fact that some victims had more than one kit in their backlog.

In both Wisconsin and Orange County, California, officials reached one person for every 43 kits sent for testing, the lowest in USA TODAY’s sample. Some sites contacted half of survivors about kits sent for testing.

BEHIND THE DATA: The federal government has pledged $350 million to address the backlog of rape kits. Progress on the program has been bumpy.

Wisconsin now has a system in place for victims to track the progress of the kits

In June 2022, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul announced a new system for tracking sexual assault packages.

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The system allows victims to log into a database using a barcode without providing any personal information, allowing them to view the status of the kit as it is transported from the hospital to a law enforcement laboratory.

The tracking system was the result of state legislation.

According to Wisconsin officials, more than 250 people have used the system.

Problems span all governments regardless of political party

Untested sexual assault kits and the way they are handled have been the focus of political campaigns in Wisconsin for a decade.

The state’s attorney general heads the Wisconsin Department of Justice, which operates the state’s forensic labs where analysts test the kits for DNA. The attorney general is also considered the state’s top law enforcement officer.

Attorney General Josh Kaul, a Democrat, made untested kits a campaign issue when he first ran for office in 2018 against then-Attorney Brad Schimel, a Republican. Kaul then faced criticism from Republicans over DNA processing times when he ran for re-election.

Even with DNA evidence, these sexual abuse cases continue to face obstacles

USA TODAY’s investigation found that cases across the country faced the same obstacles as when victims first came forward:

By the U.S. Department of Justice’s count, the program has resulted in 100,000 kits tested and 1,500 convictions so far. That’s after the department distributed nearly $350 million in grants to 90 state and local agencies since 2015.

Where can I find help?

The National Sexual Assault Hotline can be reached at 1-800-656-4673.

Advocate Aurora Health’s healing and advocacy services for victims of sexual abuse include a 24-hour hotline at 414-219-5555 and a confidential text line at 414-219-1551. A list of other local resources is available here.

This article originally appeared in Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Wisconsin Received Millions to Test Rape Kits, But Few Convictions

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