TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Dec 12, 2022

The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) is seeking $2 million in contracts with outside labs to process 1,000 rape kits it says need to be tested before the end of June, the Associated Press reports. The bureau issued the request for proposals for up to three contractors, as the state’s turnaround times for sexual assault kits continue to face scrutiny. The contractors also would testify about the tested kits in court cases. As of October, the agency said the average turnaround time for a rape kit was 43 weeks at the Knoxville lab, 42.4 weeks at the Jackson lab and 32.7 weeks at the Nashville lab. The bureau wants the contractors signed on by the end of January.