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) has been developed for the state through a partnership between the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).The reform act requires 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 June 30, 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 SAKTS implementation is aimed at preventing sexual assault kit backlogs, and will also allow survivors to track the status of their kit as it moves through the criminal justice system.
Types of agencies that will utilize SAKTS include:
- Hospitals
- Sexual Assault Centers
- Law Enforcement Agencies
- Child Advocacy Centers
- GBI Crime Labs
- Prisons / Jails
- Medical Examiners' Offices
- Universities
- Military Bases
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. The system is anticipated to go-live around the state beginning in January 2022, with a phased training approach that will assist agencies in learning how to use the new system.