In support of Georgia State House Bill 255, also known as The Sexual Assault Reform Act of 2021, a sexual assault kit tracking system (SAKTS) was developed for the state through a partnership between the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).The reform act required all medical facilities, state, county and city agencies ,and persons that handle, process or store sexual assault kits (SAKs) to be registered users of the system by July 1, 2022.
Sexual assault kits are used in forensic medical exams conducted by over 200 medical agencies in Georgia. More than 600 law enforcement agencies are involved in the transfer, retention and storage of kits, and the GBI has multiple locations that forensically analyze the kits.
The goal of the tracking system is to prevent sexual assault kit backlogs. It also allows survivors to track the status of their kit as it moves through the criminal justice system.
Types of agencies that utilize SAKTS include:
- Hospitals
- Sexual Assault Centers
- Law Enforcement Agencies
- Child Advocacy Centers
- GBI Crime Labs
- Prisons / Jails
- Medical Examiners
- Universities
Pilot testing for SAKTS occurred between September and October 2021 in the following counties: Chatham, Dougherty, Richmond, Carroll, Athens-Clarke and Gwinnett. You may find CJCC's prese release on the pilot program here.