HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — According to the nonprofit Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, someone in the United States is sexually assaulted every 68 seconds.
The nonprofit estimates 97% of rapists will never spend a day in prison for the felony they committed.
In Harris County, elected officials have pledged to prioritize sexual assault and domestic violence cases, with a focus on supporting victims.
Those same officials have said they are shocked and frustrated by Harris County’s low investigation and conviction rates, but victims say they’re not doing enough to improve them.
It’s not easy to talk about.
“It’s moments like this where you don’t realize how much this affected you because you’ve become numb to it, but then it resurfaces in other relationships,” Caretta Haynes said.
Haynes said she was first raped when she was 18 years old.
“I immediately ran in my mom’s room and told her to call the police. When they got there, of course, I was questioned about the validity of my claims and was asked if it was true and what I did to contribute to the situation. From there, I kind of shied away from reporting anything,” she said. “When I got into my marriage with my daughter’s father, he was abusive.”
Haynes’ best friend, Monai Carter, said she understands all too well.
“If I come crying, I am begging you to listen to my story. It’s because I don’t want to be drug through the house no more,” she said.
Carter said she was in an abusive relationship with a past boyfriend.
Houston Police records show officers responded to their home nine times from July 2016 to May of 2017.
HPD doesn’t have detailed records available from back then, but court records show the man she claims was assaulting her was never charged.
“I gave them text messages, I gave them audio messages, I gave them cards, I gave them everything to say he’s abusing me. They wouldn’t take him. They told me I would have to take him to civil court to get him out of my house,” Carter said. “I’ve had a rape kit done before, but there was no point in me going because they said we were in a relationship and they wouldn’t believe me.”
According to the latest report from the Harris County Sexual Assault Response Team, which is made up of local criminal justice leaders and advocates, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office received 1,107 sexual offense calls in 2022, and only 169 of the cases were investigated.
To go even further, the report shows that only 77 cases were accepted by the District Attorney’s Office, which means only 7% of all cases reported even have a chance to lead to a conviction.
“We don’t call because we know that you’re going to have me sit around for five years while you investigate me,” Cris Wright said. “You’re going to send me off because I’m defending myself so now I’m going to have to defend my kids.”
Wright said she is also a survivor.
“It’s the year our lord 2025. We have technology. These laws should not take that long for us to discuss and come up with solutions,” Wright said. “It’s not just us that we’re talking about. We’re talking about her kids, their kids, their kids’ kids.’
In 2023, the sheriff’s office had one sergeant and five investigators in its adult sex crimes division. Today, the sheriff’s office says the division has one lieutenant, two sergeants, ten detectives, and two deputies. It’s a big increase in resources, but, according to the office, it still takes an average of a year to investigate any new sex crime.
“You want to pay our officers all these extra dollars and unbalance our budget with it, then great. Let’s put them into use,” Wright said.
The District Attorney’s office currently only has five prosecutors who look into adult sex crimes.
“The biggest question is always: why didn’t you leave? It’s never that easy to leave. When I left, I got a box cutter stuck in my neck. When I tried to leave, I got his forearm pressed in my throat, when my daughter had to defend me. When I tried to leave, I’m in the hospital. The cops did nothing,” Carter said.
“I don’t want to be fearful anymore,” Haynes said. “I don’t want to feel like I have to diminish who I am.”
“So here I am, living with being raped, living with being abused. All I can do is take my story and tell the next person and hope it will help someone else,” Carter added.
Harris County’s Sexual Assault Response Team is set to release a new report next month.
ABC13 spoke with victims who said they hope to see improvement in that report, and if not, plans for change.
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