A descriptive study of training and its perceived helpfulness among Illinois sexual assault investigators

Many sexual assault victims are reluctant to report out of fear of mistreatment by police; others describe the experience of secondary victimization upon reporting. Yet, there is little attention in policy, practice, and research to how investigators are trained to interact with victims and effectiv...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Venema, Rachel M. (Author)
Contributors: Lorenz, Katherine ; Sweda, Nicole
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2020
In: Journal of crime and justice
Year: 2020, Volume: 43, Issue: 1, Pages: 110-124
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Keywords:
Description
Summary:Many sexual assault victims are reluctant to report out of fear of mistreatment by police; others describe the experience of secondary victimization upon reporting. Yet, there is little attention in policy, practice, and research to how investigators are trained to interact with victims and effectively conduct sexual assault investigations. Only recently have sexual assault investigation procedures gained attention with newly enacted legislation to improve the police response to victims; however, the perceived helpfulness of such training is unknown. The present study offers a description of the state of training for sexual assault investigators across Illinois, including the training investigators receive, how beneficial investigators perceive this training to be, and what investigators prioritize as necessary to improve sexual assault investigations. Qualitative and quantitative data reveal investigators’ priorities for training to improve investigations. Implications for future research and training practices are discussed.
ISSN:2158-9119
DOI:10.1080/0735648X.2019.1601585