Reporting Highlights Room For Improvement In Kentucky's Sexual Assault Response

Kentucky has instituted major reforms to its systems that handle sexual assault cases. Those reforms include requirements for providing, testing and tracking rape kits, mandated trauma-informed training for first responders, and clearing a backlog of more than 3,000 untested rape kits. But there are more areas for improvement, as revealed in The Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting's investigation "Prosecution Declined". The project, part of KYCIR's new podcast called "Dig", found that Louisville police rely heavily on prosecutors' judgement for whether rape cases should prompt an arrest. Prosecutors often decline such cases, resulting in only 15 percent of rape cases reported in 2017 ending with an arrest. WFPL's In Conversation discussed how Kentucky has reformed its systems for handling sexual assault cases, described what services are available for victims, and highlighted what areas need improvement. Our guests were Investigative Reporter Eleanor Klibanoff with the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting and Survivors' Corner Founder and Director Donna Pollard.