Natasha's Justice Project
Encyclopedia
Natasha's Justice Project (NJP) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization
that seeks to end the nation's current rape kit backlog crisis and empower and assist survivors of sexual assault
through travel grants to testify at their trials. NJP was founded by Natasha S. Alexenko, a victim and survivor of sexual assault
, in hopes of exposing and eliminating the current rape kit backlog that exists in public municipalities throughout the United States
. NJP empowers survivors of sexual assualt by getting their rape kits off the shelves and tested so that their perpetrator(s) are brought to justice.
, was violently raped, sodomized, and robbed at gunpoint by an unknown assailant while walking back to her apartment. After returning to her apartment, Alexenko waited for an ambulance and travelled to a hospital, where hospital staff collected evidence for her rape kit. Following Alexenko's assualt, all leads were exhausted by the New York City Police Department
and her attacker was not identified. Alexenko's rape kit sat on a shelf at the New York City Police Department
property clerk's office for nine years.
In 2003, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced the "John Doe Indictment Project," a coordinated city-wide initiative that aimed to prevent sex offenders from using the statute of limitations
to escape prosecution. It was estimated that an excess of 600 cases were soon to expire, including Alexenko's case. Nearly a decade after her attack, Alexenko received a call from the New York City
District Attorney's Office as prosecutors looked to use the DNA
from her rape kit to create a "John Doe" indictment. In 2003, Alexenko testified before a grand jury
and the DNA from her rape kit was indicted, allowing prosecutors to bring charges against her attacker whenever captured.
In 2007, the New York City Police Department
found Alexenko's attacker through a match to his DNA
profile in CODIS. Victor Rondon was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada
on a minor charge. When extradited to New York
for a parole violation, a detective performed a DNA
cheek swab on Rondon, entering it into CODIS. Rondon's profile matched the DNA
sample collected from Alexenko's rape kit. In 2008, Victor Rondon was tried before a jury and found guilty of eight counts of violent assault, including burglary in the first degree, robbery in the first degree, two counts of rape in the first degree, sodomy in the first degree, and sexual abuse in the first degree. Rondon was sentenced to 44 to 107 years in prison.
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
that seeks to end the nation's current rape kit backlog crisis and empower and assist survivors of sexual assault
Sexual assault
Sexual assault is an assault of a sexual nature on another person, or any sexual act committed without consent. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may involve any combination of two or more men, women and children....
through travel grants to testify at their trials. NJP was founded by Natasha S. Alexenko, a victim and survivor of sexual assault
Sexual assault
Sexual assault is an assault of a sexual nature on another person, or any sexual act committed without consent. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may involve any combination of two or more men, women and children....
, in hopes of exposing and eliminating the current rape kit backlog that exists in public municipalities throughout the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. NJP empowers survivors of sexual assualt by getting their rape kits off the shelves and tested so that their perpetrator(s) are brought to justice.
History
In 1993, Natasha S. Alexenko, a twenty-year old college student living in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, was violently raped, sodomized, and robbed at gunpoint by an unknown assailant while walking back to her apartment. After returning to her apartment, Alexenko waited for an ambulance and travelled to a hospital, where hospital staff collected evidence for her rape kit. Following Alexenko's assualt, all leads were exhausted by the New York City Police Department
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
and her attacker was not identified. Alexenko's rape kit sat on a shelf at the New York City Police Department
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
property clerk's office for nine years.
In 2003, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg announced the "John Doe Indictment Project," a coordinated city-wide initiative that aimed to prevent sex offenders from using the statute of limitations
Statute of limitations
A statute of limitations is an enactment in a common law legal system that sets the maximum time after an event that legal proceedings based on that event may be initiated...
to escape prosecution. It was estimated that an excess of 600 cases were soon to expire, including Alexenko's case. Nearly a decade after her attack, Alexenko received a call from the New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
District Attorney's Office as prosecutors looked to use the DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
from her rape kit to create a "John Doe" indictment. In 2003, Alexenko testified before a grand jury
Grand jury
A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...
and the DNA from her rape kit was indicted, allowing prosecutors to bring charges against her attacker whenever captured.
In 2007, the New York City Police Department
New York City Police Department
The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...
found Alexenko's attacker through a match to his DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
profile in CODIS. Victor Rondon was arrested in Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
on a minor charge. When extradited to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
for a parole violation, a detective performed a DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
cheek swab on Rondon, entering it into CODIS. Rondon's profile matched the DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
sample collected from Alexenko's rape kit. In 2008, Victor Rondon was tried before a jury and found guilty of eight counts of violent assault, including burglary in the first degree, robbery in the first degree, two counts of rape in the first degree, sodomy in the first degree, and sexual abuse in the first degree. Rondon was sentenced to 44 to 107 years in prison.
Media Coverage
Natasha's Justice Project has been referenced in articles by the following media outlets:- Associated PressAssociated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
This article was also picked up by ForbesForbesForbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
, The Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street JournalThe Wall Street Journal is an American English-language international daily newspaper. It is published in New York City by Dow Jones & Company, a division of News Corporation, along with the Asian and European editions of the Journal....
and The Washington TimesThe Washington TimesThe Washington Times is a daily broadsheet newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States. It was founded in 1982 by Unification Church founder Sun Myung Moon, and until 2010 was owned by News World Communications, an international media conglomerate associated with the...
. - CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
- NewsdayNewsdayNewsday is a daily American newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties and the New York City borough of Queens on Long Island, although it is sold throughout the New York metropolitan area...
- New York PostNew York PostThe New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
- New York Times
- NPRNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
- TIMETimeTime is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....