Schuette: $3 Million Budgeted to Secure Justice for Michigan Women

Who Were Victims of Sexual Violence

Contact: Joy Yearout 517-373-8060

June 12, 2014
LANSING Attorney General Bill Schuette today praised a $3 million appropriation provided by
the legislature for the annual budget for the Department of Attorney General to fund sexual assault
prosecutions that stem from the ongoing effort to DNA test thousands of unprocessed sexual assault
evidence kits.
"Every woman who faces the tragedy of sexual violence deserves justice," said Schuette. "The
money appropriated today will build on our efforts to secure justice for victims who have already waited too
long.
"I would like to thank Governor Snyder, Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, and Speaker
Jase Bolger and all the legislators who voted in support of this measure for their commitment to justice for
victims of sexual assault."
The successful collection of $3 million in litigation and settlement funds prompted Attorney General
Schuette to request the appropriation to bring justice for victims of sexual assault.
Ongoing Efforts to Bring Justice for Victims, Strengthen Public Safety
In June 2013, Attorney General Schuette joined Governor Snyder and Wayne County Prosecutor
Kym Worthy to announce a $4 million commitment, later appropriated by the legislature, to the Michigan
State Police to test thousands of rape kits discovered in a Detroit Police Department property storage
facility. The plan was launched to remove rapists and other violent criminals from Michigan streets,
protecting the state from serial criminals, as well as beginning the process of securing justice for women
who were the victims of horrific crimes.
In 2009, more than 11,000 untested rape kits dating back 25 years were discovered, each holding
the potential to solve multiple crimes, including those committed by serial rapists. Since the closure of the
Detroit Police Department Crime Laboratory in September of 2009, the Michigan State Police (MSP) has
been providing forensic science services to the city of Detroit and the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office.
The MSP's Forensic Science Division has been instrumental in the laboratory analysis of sexual assault
kits and currently works with privately contracted laboratories, the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, and
the Detroit Police Department, on efforts to test the remaining sexual assault kits.
In 2011, the National Institute of Justice published a report on the challenge of untested rape kits
nationwide, called The Road Ahead: Unanalyzed Evidence in Sexual Assault Cases, available online
at https://ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/233279.pdf.
Michigan victims of sexual violence are encouraged to call the national sexual assault hotline toll-
free, 1-800-656-HOPE. All calls are confidential, and will be answered by a local counseling center affiliated
with the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN). Assistance is also available online
at www.rainn.org.
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