RT Article
T1 ‘A lot of the time it’s dealing with victims who don’t want to know, it’s all made up, or they’ve got mental health’: Rape myths in a large English police force
JF International review of victimology
VO 30
IS 1
SP 3
OP 24
A1 Gekoski, Anna 1974-
A2 Massey, Kristina
A2 Allen, Katherine
A2 Ferreira, Joana
A2 Dalton, Charlotte T
A2 Horvath, Miranda
A2 Davies, Kari
LA English
YR 2024
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1873102607
AB Despite an increase in the reporting of rape, convictions in England and Wales have fallen significantly in recent years. Previous research has found high rape myth acceptance among police officers. Given that the police act as gatekeepers to the criminal justice system, subscribing to rape myths may have significant effects upon victim attrition and conviction rates. This study explores police officers’ use of rape myths and how these may impact investigations and prosecutions. A total of 17 semi-structured interviews were conducted with police officers from a large English police force. The interview data were analysed using the qualitative method of thematic analysis. Although there were instances where officers demonstrated some awareness of the need to dispel or counter rape myths, rape myths were employed by most officers, with the most common relating to (1) victim fabrication (‘women lie’) and (2) victim precipitation (‘women ask for it’). Recommendations are made around screening and training for police officers.
K1 Investigation
K1 rape myth acceptance
K1 Victims
K1 Police officers
K1 Rape Myths
DO 10.1177/02697580221142891