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Testifying in Court: Virtual Reality as a Preparation Strategy for Survivors of Sexual Violence in Iceland

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Abstract

For survivors of sexual violence, testifying in court can be a stressful experience. For many survivors, preparation has shown to be of importance to improve this process and reduce feelings of secondary victimization. In this study we report findings from a research project in Iceland where survivors have been invited to explore the use of virtual reality (VR) as a preparation strategy for testifying in court. Here we explore how VR, as a preparation strategy, can facilitate survivors’ agency when testifying in court. The data consists of three studies where survivors of sexual violence in Iceland entered a VR courtroom and were subsequently interviewed regarding the VR experience. The results suggest that the VR experience evokes similar negative emotions as the real-life courtroom, and these might decrease with repeated exposures. The VR experience also appears to increase a sense of empowerment, control, and agency. The findings are presented within the framework of Konradi’s theory of witnesses’ agency in the criminal justice process.

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Data availability

The participants of this study did not give written consent for their data to be shared publicly, so due to the sensitive nature of the research supporting data is not available.

Notes

  1. According to Article 123 in the Law on Criminal Procedure no. 88/2008, the judge can make this decision based on requests from either the prosecutor or the victim.

  2. According to Article 70 of the Constitution of the Republic of Iceland, the main rule of Icelandic law is that court hearings are open to the public. However, Article 10 of the Law on Criminal Procedure, no. 88/2008, allows a judge to decide, if necessary, to close the court hearings based on one or more of a set of criteria; either of his or her own volition or upon request from the prosecution, the accused or the injured party.

  3. According to article 46 in the Law on Criminal Procedure no. 88/2008, the victim’s legal counsel can comment on procedural issues in court related to their client.

  4. See article 110 in the Law on Criminal Procedure no. 88/2008.

  5. This is stipulated in Article 18 of the Icelandic Laws on Criminal Procedure no. 88/2008. For a discussion on the principle of impartiality in Swedish law see Asp (2012).

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Acknowledgements

The research was supported by a research grant from the Icelandic Gender Equality Fund to Rannveig Sigurvinsdóttir. The authors would like to thank the members of the company Statum (Edit Ómarsdóttir, Hafdís Sæland and Helga Margrét Ólafsdóttir) for conceiving of and creating the virtual reality environment. The authors would also like to thank the Icelandic National police commissioner, Sigríður Björk Guðjónsdóttir, and staff member of the National police commissioner’s office, Rannveig Þórisdóttir, for assistance and support during this study.

Funding

Funding was provided by Icelandic Gender Equality Fund.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Akureyri, Akureyri, Iceland

    Hildur Fjóla Antonsdóttir

  2. Department of Psychology, Reykjavik University, Reykjavik, Iceland

    Erla Katrín Jónsdóttir, Margrét Tórshamar Georgsdóttir, Malena Írisardóttir Þórisdóttir, Hildur Skúladóttir, Paola Cardenas, Bryndís Björk Ásgeirsdóttir & Rannveig Sigurvinsdóttir

  3. Department of Psychotherapy, Jagiellonian University Medical College, Krakow, Poland

    Magdalena Konop

  4. Department of Computer Science, Reykjavik University, Reykjavik, Iceland

    Hannes Högni Vilhjálmsson

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  1. Hildur Fjóla Antonsdóttir
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Antonsdóttir, H.F., Jónsdóttir, E.K., Georgsdóttir, M.T. et al. Testifying in Court: Virtual Reality as a Preparation Strategy for Survivors of Sexual Violence in Iceland. Int Criminol 4, 16–30 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43576-024-00110-y

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