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Are women being denied justice? NOW investigates the enormous backlog in rape cases.
A terrible statistic: one in six women will be a victim of rape or
attempted rape in her lifetime. An even more shocking
reality: A backlog in processing rape kits - crucial
evidence in arresting violent predators - is delaying and
sometimes denying justice for tens of thousands of American women.
NOW travels to Los Angeles County to investigate why it has the
largest known rape kit backlog in the country - more
than 12,000 kits are sitting untested in police storage
facilities. An internal audit found that more than 50 of these
cases have exceeded the 10-year statute of limitations on rape.
"The evidence that we're talking about represents human lives," Los
Angeles Controller Laura Chick tells NOW. "Those are lives stacked
up on the shelves waiting for justice."
NOW talks with courageous rape survivors and law enforcement
experts for insight and answers in this disturbing, but important
report. Are these women being victimized twice?