Gatekeepers to Justice: Police Officers’ Experiences Responding to Sexual Assault

Police officers play a central role in attaining justice for sexual assault survivors. Disclosing sexual assault is critical to attain justice and foster support, yet survivors often experience negative interactions when disclosing sexual victimization to the police. Police officers’ experiences inv...

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Bibliographische Detailangaben
1. VerfasserIn: Murphy-Oikonen, Jodie (VerfasserIn)
Beteiligte: McQueen, Karen ; Miller, Ainsley ; Chambers, Anne Lorene 1965-
Medienart: Elektronisch Aufsatz
Sprache:Englisch
Veröffentlicht: 2024
In: Crime & delinquency
Jahr: 2024, Band: 70, Heft: 12, Seiten: 3442-3468
Online-Zugang: Volltext (kostenfrei)
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Verfügbarkeit prüfen: HBZ Gateway
Schlagwörter:
police distress
sexual assault investigation
Police Training
Police
Sexual Assault
Beschreibung
Zusammenfassung:Police officers play a central role in attaining justice for sexual assault survivors. Disclosing sexual assault is critical to attain justice and foster support, yet survivors often experience negative interactions when disclosing sexual victimization to the police. Police officers’ experiences investigating sexual assault have not been explored. Qualitative methods were used to explore the experiences of police officers who respond to reports of sexual assault. Semi-structured interviews with 20 police officers were analyzed in NVIVO software and uncovered four themes, (1) Lack of Sexual Assault Training; (2) Compassion for the Victim; (3) Investigative Process, and (4) Police Distress. The first-hand accounts of police officers uncover opportunities to improve police response to sexual assault and enhance the disclosure experience of survivors.
ISSN:1552-387X
DOI:10.1177/00111287221143944