Martha Goddard and the Secret History of the Rape Kit
I don't normally do book reviews but this one's important.
Kennedy, P. 2025. The Secret History of the Rape Kit. Vintage Books.
The (secret) history of the rape kit begins in the early 1970s in Chicago, where there was a significant problem with sexual assault. In 1973 alone, there were approximately 16,000 reported cases of sexual assault in the greater Chicago area, yet fewer than 50 of these cases went to trial, and only a handful of perpetrators were charged and convicted. At the time, the legal and social mindset surrounding rape was very, very different from what it is today. For example, marital rape was legal in all 50 states! Yup, a husband could legally force himself sexually on his wife and she had no legal recourse. Police and society at large often blamed the victims for their assaults, based on judgments about clothing or situations (“Look at what you were wearing! What did you expect?” and other forms of BS). Police departments failed to take sexual cases seriously and, therefore, did not investigate these crimes, collect evidence, or do much else. When evidence was collected, it was slapdash and not done consistently.
It was against this backdrop that community activist Martha “Marty” Goddard, working as part of Chicago's newly formed Rape Task Force, envisioned a standardized kit that would ensure proper evidence collection in sexual assault cases. The kit would contain the swabs, vials, containers, and paperwork needed to collect evidence in a standardized way. She convinced Sergeant Louis Vitullo, who was in charge of the Chicago Police Department’s microscopic evidence division1, to create such a kit. Sergeant Vitullo agreed on the condition that he would be given full credit for the invention. Ahem. Goddard, understanding the prevailing societal norms and recognizing the importance of gaining police support, agreed to Vitullo’s demand. Of course, the kit became known as the Vitullo kit. Sigh. Here ended Goddard’s acknowledged role in its creation, for all intents and purposes.
The initial kit design, while revolutionary for its time, was a product of the analog era, predating DNA identification and the internet. It served as a means of providing a standardized and systematic approach to evidence collection, allowing for more thorough investigations and providing tangible evidence to support survivors’ accounts, ultimately promoting belief and legitimacy in the courtroom. Goddard sought funding to make the kits but no corporations wanted to be associated with the word “rape.” Finally, Goddard got funding from—hold on—the Playboy Foundation. Hugh Hefner, its founder, saw the kits as aligning with his vision of sexual freedom and empowerment for women. Go figure.
While the rape kit brought significant improvements to the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault cases, its implementation was not without its challenges. Almost as soon as DNA identification became available in the early 1990s, a backlog of untested rape kits began to accumulate across the country. This was primarily due to the high cost of DNA testing at the time. The problem persisted largely unnoticed until the 2010s, when activists in Detroit exposed a warehouse containing thousands of unprocessed rape kits. Similar discoveries in other cities followed, revealing the widespread failure of the justice system to properly utilize this crucial tool.
Despite these setbacks, the rape kit has played a vital role in advancing justice for sexual assault survivors. It has not only helped to secure convictions but also to exonerate wrongly accused individuals, including many men of color who were disproportionately targeted by false accusations. Moreover, the increased processing of backlogged kits has contributed to a decrease in false accusations, providing concrete evidence to either support or refute claims of assault.
The (secret) history of the rape kit is a testament to the perseverance and ingenuity of Goddard, whose efforts transformed the way sexual assault cases were investigated and prosecuted. Despite being denied credit for her invention and eventually fading from public view, Goddard’s legacy lives on in the countless survivors whose stories have been heard, believed, and validated thanks to the tool she created.
Good for them for having a Microscopic Evidence Division (!) but bad on them that a police officer was in charge of forensic scientists*.