LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The Arkansas State Crime Laboratory has been working to clear the backlog of sexual assault test kits over the past few years.
According to a report by the Arkansas State Crime Laboratory, there were 2,217 untested kits in Arkansas in 2016.
In 2019, Arkansas passed Act 839, which was a big step in working to increase the transparency for victims and to try and prevent the backlog from happening again.
When Act 839 was first passed, the lab had 461 untested kits.
Four years later, the backlog has still not been cleared, but the crime lab's new director and chief examiner, Theodore Brown, said progress is happening.
"We have made significant improvements and progress regarding our turnaround time," Brown said. "Specifically, what that looks like when we receive the testing kits."
Back in 2021, the crime lab reported 567 untested kits.
According to new numbers we've received from the lab, one year later, in 2023, there are 241 untested kits and 247 tests pending at their vendor laboratory.
Once a test kit is administered to a victim and given to law enforcement, Act 839 requires law enforcement to submit a kit for processing within 15 days of receiving it.
From that point, the crime lab has 60 days to complete the lab testing.
"One year ago, our turnaround time was approximately nine months," Brown said. "Today, due to the hard work and collaboration of our team, the governor's office, and the attorney general's office, our turnaround time is less than three months."
Brown said the numbers are steadily improving.
"By 2025, we will be hitting that mark of no backlog," Brown said. "We are committed to a turnaround time of less than two months or 60 days."
These recent strides have sexual assault coordinators hopeful, but coordinators think additional strides must come quickly.
Joyce Raynor and Sharon Stout both work at the Center For Healing Hearts and Spirits, a non-profit organization that works to assist survivors of sexual assault.
Often, they're with survivors when these kits are first administered.
"They want justice," Stout said. "To know that kit is sitting there, and they have no answers, they can't really go through the court process until that stage is complete. It's complete frustration."
Raynor said it's not just traumatizing for survivors, but also for the coordinators who work tirelessly to get victims the support and resources they need.
"Many victims feel like they have been forgotten," Raynor said. "When they have not heard from prosecutors, crime labs, or general people."
The crime lab said they hear the concerns from Arkansans and are working diligently to improve.
Recently, they've hired additional DNA forensic scientists who work directly with processing sexual assault test kits.
"We were allocated five additional positions within our DNA section," Brown said. "All five positions are filled, and most are out of training or currently in training."
Additionally, Brown said they're working to build a new crime lab facility that will continue to put them on the pathway to clearing the backlog of sexual assault test kits.
Although there are many moving parts, they hope to break ground by 2024.