What is the Iowa Sexual Assault Kit Initiative?

The Iowa Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) project was created in April, 2015. The Crime Victim Assistance Division (CVAD) of the Iowa Department of Justice applied for a federal grant solicited by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) under the Office of Justice Programs within the United States Department of Justice. Iowa was awarded $3 million through both a 2015 and 2016 grant to support the various steps of the Iowa SAKI project.

The goals of the SAKI project are to enact criminal justice reform to ensure all processes are victim-centered and trauma-informed, to promote accountability, to bring justice to victims of sexual assault, and to ensure public safety through the identification of offenders and serial offenders.