Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Improving the Police Response to Rape Victims: Persistent Challenges and New Directions

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan

Abstract

Survivors of sexual violence are vulnerable to secondary victimization (being subjected to coercion and objectification in ways that replicate the original assault) when seeking help from criminal justice agencies, especially vulnerable are people with disabilities or a criminal history, sex trafficking and partner violence survivors, immigrants and people from minority cultures, and college students. Negative treatment of survivors by criminal justice authorities can result in stressful interviews, poor victim statements, lack of follow-through, dropped or nonexistent charges, exacerbation of trauma, and, ultimately, a reduced number of rape reports. Trauma-informed care and interdisciplinary collaboration are best practice approaches to rape, but some police agencies underestimate their value or lack a comprehensive implementation strategy. Openness to change, willingness to collaborate, provision of specialized training, involvement in research, concern for employee wellness, empathy toward victims, and an egalitarian work culture are important characteristics of trauma-informed police agencies. A top-down approach is crucial to improve police responses to rape reporters. This chapter will present an overview of issues confronting rape reporters, agency and individual factors in trauma-informed policing, effective victim interviewing strategies, and avenues for future practice and research.

This chapter was initially published with an incorrect copyright holder name. It has been corrected to © Springer Nature Switzerland AG.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Alderden, M. A., & Ullman, S. E. (2012). Gender difference or indifference? Detective decision making in sexual assault cases. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 27(1), 3–22.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Antaki, C., Richardson, E., Stokoe, E., & Willor, S. (2015). Dealing with the distress of people with intellectual disabilities reporting rape. Discourse Studies, 17(26), 141–153.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bivens, R., & Hasinoff, A. A. (2017). Rape: Is there an app for that? An empirical analysis of the features of anti-rape apps. Journal of Information, Communication and Society, 3(4), 1050–1067.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bull, R. (2018). PEACE-ful interviewing/interrogation. Ch. 10. In K. Shigemasu (Ed.), Diversity in harmony: Insights from psychology. Proceedings of the 31st international congress of psychology. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, R. (1997). The role of work experience and individual beliefs in police officers’ perceptions of date rape: An integration of quantitative and qualitative methods. American Journal of Community Psychology, 23(2), 249–277.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, R. (2006). Rape survivors’ experiences with the legal and medical systems: Do rape victim advocates make a difference? Violence Against Women, 12(1), 30–45.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Campbell, R. (2012). The neurobiology of sexual assault. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carbone-Lopez, K., Slocum, L., & Kruttschmitt, C. (2015). Police wouldn’t give you no help: Female offenders on reporting sexual assault to police. Violence Against Women, 35(2), 1–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cecchet, S. J., & Thoburn, J. (2014). The psychological experience of child and adolescent sex trafficking in the United States: Trauma and resilience in survivors. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice and Policy, 6(5), 482–493.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chowdhury-Hawkins, R., McLean, I., Winterholler, M., & Welch, J. (2008). Preferred choice of gender of staff providing care to victims of sexual assault in SARCs. Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, 15(6), 363–367.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cordner, G., & Cordner, A. (2011). Stuck on a plateau? Obstacles to recruitment, selection and retention of women police. Police Quarterly, 14(3), 207–226.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Daly, K., & Bouhours, B. (2010). Rape and attrition in the legal process: A comparative analysis of five countries. Crime and Justice, 39, 565–650.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Darwinkel, E., Powell, M., & Tidmarsh, P. (2013). Improving police officers’ perceptions of sexual offenses through intensive training. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 40(8), 895–908.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DeMatteo, D., Galloway, M., Arnold, S., & Patel, U. (2015). Sexual assault on college campuses: A 50-state survey of criminal sexual assault statutes and their relevance to campus sexual assault. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 21(3), 227.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eadens, D., Cranston-Gingras, A., Dupoux, E., & Eadens, D. (2016). Police officers’ perspectives on intellectual disability. Policing: An International Journal, 39(1), 222–235.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Edwards, K., Turchik, J., Dardig, L., Reynolds, N., & Gidych, C. (2011). Rape myths: History, individual and institutional level presence and implications for change. Sex Roles, 65, 761–773.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ekstrom, S. (2013). Qualification and disqualification in rape cases. Journal of Scandinavian Studies in Criminology and Crime Prevention, 4(2), 204–222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Glass, L. (2012). Help-seeking: Perceived risks for African American women. Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work, 27(1), 95–106.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greeson, M. R., & Campbell, R. (2013). Sexual assault response teams: An empirical review of their effectiveness. Trauma, Violence and Abuse, 14(2), 83–95.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, R., Lorenz, R., & Bell, K. (2013). Victim-blaming others: Rape myth acceptance and the just world belief. Feminist Criminology, 11(3), 202–220.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hazelwood, R. R., & Burgess, A. W. (Eds.). (2008). Practical aspects of rape investigation: A multi-disciplinary approach (4th ed.). New York: CRC Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hewitt, J. P. (2007). Self and society: A symbolic interactionist social psychology. Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

    Google Scholar 

  • Horvath, M., Tong, S., & Williams, E. (2011). Critical issues in rape investigation: An overview of reform in England and Wales. Journal of Criminal Justice Research, 1, 1–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jordan, J. (2011). Here we go round the review go-round: Rape investigation and prosecution: Are things getting worse, not better? Journal of Sexual Aggression, 17(3), 234–249.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kotria, K., & Womack, B. (2011). Domestic sex trafficking in the United States. Implications for policy, prevention and research. Journal of Applied Research on Children, 2(l), article #5.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lisak, D., Gardinier, L., Nicksa, S., & Cote, A. (2010). False allegations of sexual assault: An analysis of ten years of reported cases. Violence Against Women, 16(12), 1318–1334.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lonsway, K. A., & Archambault, J. (2008). Advocates and law enforcement: Oil and water? Sexual Assault Report, 32, 12–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lonsway, K. A., & Archambault, J. (2014). Start by believing: Changing attitudes towards sexual assault. The Police Chief, 81, 116–224.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lonsway, K., Welch, S., & Fitzgerald, L. (2001). Police training in sexual assault response: Process, outcomes and elements of change. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 28(6), 695–730.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maddox, L., Lee, D., & Barker, C. (2011). Police empathy and victim PTSD as potential factors in rape case attrition. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 26, 112–117.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Martin, P. Y. (2005). Rape work: Individual and organizational perspectives. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mason, G., & Palvirenti, M. (2013). Former refugees and community resilience: “Papering over” violence. British Journal of Criminology, 53(3), 401–418.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McGlynn, C., Downs, J., & Westmarland, N. (2017). Seeking justice for survivors of sexual violence. Ch. 7. In M. Keenan & E. Zonstag (Eds.), Sexual violence and restorative justice: Legal, social and therapeutic dimensions. London: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller, A., & Segal, C. (2016). Do female officers improve law enforcement quality? Effects on crime reporting and domestic violence escalation. SAGE Open, 41(16), 236–247.

    Google Scholar 

  • Milne, B., & Bull, R. (2007). Interviewing victims of crime, including children and people with intellectual disabilities, Chapter 1. In B. Milne & R. Bull (Eds.), Investigative interviewing: Psychology and practice (pp. 9–24). New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Murphy, S., Edwards, K., Bennet, S., & Bibeau, S. (2012). Police reporting practices for sexual assault cases in which “the victim does not want to pursue charges”. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 29(1), 144–156.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Page, A. D. (2010). True colors: Police officers and rape myth acceptance. Feminist Criminology, 5(4), 315–334.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Patterson, D. (2011). The linkage between secondary victimization by law enforcement and rape case outcomes. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 26(2), 328–347.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Paul, L., Walsh, K., McCauley, J., Ruggiero, K., Resick, H., & Kilpatrick, D. (2013). College women’s experiences with rape disclosure: A national study. Violence Against Women, 19(4), 486–502.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Plummer, S., & Findley, P. (2012). Women with disabilities’ experiences with sexual abuse: A review of the literature and implications for the field. Violence, Trauma and Abuse, 13(1), 15–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rich, K. (2014). Interviewing rape victims: Practice and policy issues within an international context. London: Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Rich, K. & Seffrin, P. (2012). Police interviews of rape reporters: Do attitudes matter? Violence and Victims, 27(2), 160–176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rich, K., & Seffrin, P. (2013). Police officers’ collaboration with victim advocates: Barriers and facilitators. Violence and Victims, 28(4), 223–237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Serrata, J., Rodriguez, R., Castro, J., & Hernandez-Martinez, M. (2019). Well-being of Latina survivors of intimate partner violence and sexual assault receiving trauma-informed and culturally specific services. Journal of Family Violence, 24(2), 145–156.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shaw, J., Campbell, R., Cain, D., & Feeney, H. (2017). Beyond surveys and scales: How rape myths manifest in sexual assault police records. Psychology of Violence, 7(4), 602–612.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shelley, T., Morabito, M., & Tobin-Gurley, J. (2011). Gendered institutions and gender roles: Understanding experiences of women in policing. Criminal Justice Studies, 24(4), 351–367.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Smele, S., Quinlan, A., & Fogel, C. (2019). Sexual assault policing and justice for people with disabilities. Violence and Victims, 34(5), 322–331.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Spohn, C., & Tellis, A. (Eds.). (2014). Policing and prosecuting sexual assault: Inside the criminal justice system. London: Lynne Riener.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strand, R. (2012). Investigating sexual assault: How the army is using training to promote culture change. Soldiers, 3, 12–17.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tidmarch, P. (2012). Working with sexual assault investigations (pp. 1–8). Melbourne: Australian Institute of Family Studies, Australian Centre for the Study of Sexual Assault.

    Google Scholar 

  • Venema, R. (2014). Police officer schema of sexual assault reports: Real rape, ambiguous cases and false reports. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 24(2), 1–28.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wemmers, J. (2013). Victims’ experiences in the criminal justice system and their recovery from crime. International Review of Victimology, 19, 221–233.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Young, M. I. (2004). “Five faces of oppression” Chapter 10. In L. Heldke & P. O’Connor (Eds.), Oppression, privilege, & resistance. Boston: McGraw Hill.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Work, Marywood University, Scranton, PA, USA

    Karen Rich

Authors
  1. Karen Rich
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Karen Rich .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute on Violence, Abuse, and Trauma, San Diego, CA, USA

    Robert Geffner

  2. Department of Psychology College of Arts and Sciences, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA

    Jacquelyn W. White

  3. Department of Family and Community Medicine, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    L. Kevin Hamberger

  4. Department of Psychology, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL, USA

    Alan Rosenbaum

  5. Ethelyn R. Strong School of Social Work, Norfolk State University, Norfolk, VA, USA

    Viola Vaughan-Eden

  6. Education and Research, Zero Abuse Project, St. Paul, MN, USA

    Victor I. Vieth

Section Editor information

  1. No affiliation provided

    Sarah Cook

  2. No affiliation provided

    Tracy N. Hipp Ph.D.

  3. No affiliation provided

    Amanda Hill-Attkisson

  4. No affiliation provided

    Thema Bryant-Davis

  5. No affiliation provided

    Jacquelyn W. White Ph.D

  6. No affiliation provided

    Kevin Swartout

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2022 Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this entry

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this entry

Rich, K. (2022). Improving the Police Response to Rape Victims: Persistent Challenges and New Directions. In: Geffner, R., White, J.W., Hamberger, L.K., Rosenbaum, A., Vaughan-Eden, V., Vieth, V.I. (eds) Handbook of Interpersonal Violence and Abuse Across the Lifespan. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-89999-2_199

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation