Connecticut has joined New York and a number of other states in investigating two companies that offer at-home do-it-yourself rape kits to sexual assault survivors.
Waterbury State’s Attorney Maureen Platt heads Connecticut’s Commission on the Standardization of the Collection of Evidence in Sexual Assault Investigations.
She’s concerned that the DNA collected from these rape kits will not be entered into CODIS, the national DNA database that is used to connect crimes.
“There are numerous evidentiary problems with these kits, there is a cost to the victim, unlike the system we have now. Its evidentiary value is very limited, and most importantly we are not going to be able to put them into CODIS.
Connecticut law requires every sexual assault kit that’s processed at a hospital to be tracked.
State attorneys will look into the marketing practices of companies that make the do-it-yourself kits.
Attorney General William Tong says the way do-it-yourself rape kits are marketed may violate the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act, and he's sent letters to the manufacturers of the MeToo and PRESERVE at-home rape kits asking them to justify their claims.
“The problem with so-called ‘do-it-yourself’ rape kits is that we don’t know that they are reliable. We don’t know that they are admissible in court. And what’s worse is that they may provide a victim with a false sense of security.”
Tong says only rape kits administered by qualified examiners are admissible in court.
“If we found that they pose a serious risk to public safety, I think the legislature could decide to ban them.”
The companies have claimed that their kits are for victims who don’t want to be examined for sexual assault, but still want to be able to collect evidence for future investigations.
Last month, New York Attorney General Letitia James warned the manufacturers not to sell their products in New York.
