Ideas worth spreading

What happened when we tested thousands of abandoned rape kits in Detroit

1,755,466 views | Kym Worthy • TED@UPS

In 2009, 11,341 untested rape kits -- some dating back to the 1980s -- were found in an abandoned warehouse once used by the Detroit police to store evidence. When this scandal was uncovered, prosecutor Kym Worthy set a plan into action to get justice for the thousands of victims affected. In this powerful, eye-opening talk, Worthy explains how her office helped develop an innovative program to track and test these kits -- and calls for a national effort to help solve the problem of stockpiled rape kits.

In 2009, 11,341 untested rape kits -- some dating back to the 1980s -- were found in an abandoned warehouse once used by the Detroit police to store evidence. When this scandal was uncovered, prosecutor Kym Worthy set a plan into action to get justice for the thousands of victims affected. In this powerful, eye-opening talk, Worthy explains how her office helped develop an innovative program to track and test these kits -- and calls for a national effort to help solve the problem of stockpiled rape kits.

This talk was presented at a TED Institute event given in partnership with UPS. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about the TED Institute.

Turn your outrage to action. Host a watch party for the documentary I Am Evidence, featuring prosecutor Kym Worthy.

Donate to Enough SAID (Sexual Assault in Detroit) and help more than 11,000 forgotten victims of sexual assault find justice.

About the speaker

See speaker profile

Kym Loren Worthy is the prosecutor of Wayne County, Michigan, home to Detroit.

Christopher Johnson | Skyhorse Publishing, 2018 | Book

Shattering Silences: Strategies to Prevent Sexual Assault, Heal Survivors, and Bring Assailants to Justice

This publication provides an in-depth look at new and innovative strategies to prevent sexual assault, heal survivors and bring assailants to justice. Johnson specifically covers the Sexual Assault Kit Task Forces in both Detroit and Cleveland, and the lessons he learned while covering them.

Bridget Read | Vogue, 2018 | Article

"Mariska Hargitay, SVU’s Olivia Benson, and Real-Life Prosecutor Kym Worthy Talk I Am Evidence on HBO"

Madison Feller | Elle, 2018 | Article

"New Documentary I Am Evidence Explores the Backlog of Untested Rape Kits Across the United States"

Rebecca Campbell, Giannina Fehler-Cabral, Steven J. Pierce, Dhruv B. Sharma, Deborah Bybee, Jessica Shaw, Sheena Horsford, Hannah Feeney | The Detroit SAK Action Research Project, 2015 | Book

"The Detroit Sexual Assault Kit (SAK) Action Research Project, Final Report"

This 2015 report was funded by the National Institute of Justice and contains research from the Detroit SAK Research Project to develop long-term strategies for resolving the issue of untested sexual assault kits. The report brought together researchers and practitioners from law enforcement, prosecution, forensic sciences, forensic nursing and victim advocacy.

Rebecca Campbell | National Institute of Justice, 2012 | Book

"The Neurobiology of Sexual Assault"

This is the transcript to a video presentation that Michigan State University Professor Campbell gave for the National Institute of Justice in 2012. She explains the underlying neurobiology of traumatic events, their emotional and physical manifestation, and how these processes can impact the investigation and prosecution of sexual assault.

HBO Documentary, 2018 | Explore

I Am Evidence

An investigation into the way sexual assault cases are handled by police departments across the country. This documentary features information about Detroit's abandoned rape kits, explained by Prosecutor Kym Worthy.

About TED Institute

Every year, TED works with a group of select companies and foundations to identify internal ideators, inventors, connectors, and creators. Drawing on the same rigorous regimen that has prepared speakers for the TED main stage, TED Institute works closely with each partner, overseeing curation and providing intensive one-on-one talk development to sharpen and fine tune ideas. The culmination is an event produced, recorded, and hosted by TED, generating a growing library of valuable TED Talks that can spur innovation and transform organizations.

Read more about the TED Institute

This talk was presented at a TED Institute event given in partnership with UPS. TED's editors chose to feature it for you.

Read more about the TED Institute.

Turn your outrage to action. Host a watch party for the documentary I Am Evidence, featuring prosecutor Kym Worthy.

Donate to Enough SAID (Sexual Assault in Detroit) and help more than 11,000 forgotten victims of sexual assault find justice.