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1/ Across the country, discarded and untested rape kits have become hallmarks of a criminal-justice system “in which police officers continue to reflexively disbelieve women who say they’ve been raped.” theatln.tc/2Qaj2uf6
2/ Rape—more than murder, robbery, or assault—is by far the easiest violent crime to get away with in the United States, in large part because of law enforcement’s “abiding skepticism of women who report.”
3/ About 125,000 rapes are reported each year in the U.S. In 49 out of 50 cases, the alleged assailant goes free. In 40% of a random sample of cases from Ohio, detectives never contacted the victim; in 75%, they never interviewed her. 50% were closed in a week, 25% in a day.
4/ But the testing of forgotten rape kits has shown that investigating cases yield major results, even decades late. Information comes to light that upends traditional assumptions about sexual predators. Rapists who have evaded prosecution are identified, charged, and convicted.
5/ Read @barbarabradleyh’s cover story for The Atlantic on the “epidemic of disbelief” that’s so pervasive. theatln.tc/2Qaj2uf6
