Who Can You Trust? The Impact of Procedural Justice, Trust, and Police Officer Sex on Women's Sexual Assault Victimization Reporting Likelihood

A Qualitative Analysis of Victims' Perceptions of Procedural Justice for Sexual Victimization

Sexual violence is a prevalent crime that is heavily underreported. Police behaviors when responding to such crimes can influence decisions to report. Furthermore, there is a dearth of knowledge on the relationship between procedural justice tenets (e.g., dignity/respect, trustworthiness, fairness/neutrality, and having a voice) and survivors of sexual violence decisions to report. The current study uses 55 semistructured interviews with survivors of sexual violence across the United States to explore procedural justice tenets on individuals' decisions to report their victimization (or not). Findings underscore the importance for police to interact with survivors with tenets of dignity/respect. Practical implications are further discussed.

Victim Notification Protocols for Untested Sexual Assault Kits: Survivors' and Advocates' Perspectives on Law Enforcement-Led Outreach Methods

Current estimates suggest there are 300,000-400,000 untested sexual assault kits (SAKs) in police department storage facilities throughout the United States. As these kits are being discovered and then submitted for forensic DNA testing, legal system personnel may recontact victims. These "victim notifications" involve informing survivors their kits were previously untested, sharing the results of new DNA testing, and asking for their engagement in reinvestigating and prosecuting the case. Typically, victim notifications are conducted by police, and survivors are connected with victim advocates soon thereafter. In this study, we interviewed survivors about their experiences of being notified by the police. We also interviewed about their work supporting survivors. Both survivors and advocates expressed strong concerns about police conducting notifications without an advocate present.

The Role and Impact of the Use of Information Technologies by Police in Response to Violence against Women

The last decade has witnessed an increased awareness of the crucial need to enhance police response and investigation of crimes related to violence against women (VAW). Although some research has been conducted on police decision-making in response to these crimes, there remains a dearth of knowledge concerning the influence of innovative police technologies on the investigative process and resulting case outcomes. This knowledge gap is particularly concerning given (1) the intricate nature and severity of VAW crimes and (2) the substantial advancements in technology that have transformed how the criminal justice system handles violent crime cases. To address this gap, the current study adopted a multi-method, quasi-experimental design to assess the impact of the Miami Police Department's Real-Time Crime Center (MRTCC) technologies on the case processing and case clearance of sexual assault and domestic violence incidents. The results of this study illuminate the distinctive features associated with this form of violent crime and underscore the necessity of continuously advancing the strategies employed to address these incidents.