Mariska Hargitay helped fund Detroit rape kit tests; 263 convictions by 2025
Actress Mariska Hargitay and her Joyful Heart Foundation helped fund the testing of thousands of abandoned sexual assault kits in Detroit. The initiative has successfully secured 263 convictions since 2009, addressing a massive backlog of evidence that had been ignored for decades.
Why it matters
This highlights the impact of private advocacy and funding in addressing systemic failures within the criminal justice system.
More than 250 convictions have emerged from a long-running investigation into thousands of sexual assault cases in Detroit, Michigan, where evidence had remained untested for decades. American actress Mariska Hargitay, best known for her role as detective Olivia Benson in Law & Order: SVU, was among those who helped fund and support the effort. According to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, the Detroit Sexual Assault Kit Project had secured 263 convictions by April 2025, while investigations and prosecutions were still continuing.The project began in 2009, when authorities discovered 11,341 sexual assault evidence kits inside a Detroit Police Department warehouse. According toAccording to Wayne County, Michigan, the kits related to cases dating from 1984 to 2009, but none had been submitted for testing. The discovery meant that evidence collected over 25 years was still awaiting examination.Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy took responsibility for addressing the backlog.
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