Voices of Female Sexual Assault Survivors

Striving for Survivor-Centered Reporting Processes in the U.S. Criminal Justice System

Dados Bibliográficos

ID12005126
AutoresMichiko Iwasaki (0000-0001-7421-7761, Loyola University Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA), Matthew Picchiello (0000-0001-5053-6805, Washington University in St. Louis, St Louis, MO, USA, autor correspondente), Casie H Morgan (0000-0002-1515-6548, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA), Amy L Henninger (0000-0002-7042-2634, Loyola University Maryland, Baltimore, MD, USA)
Ano2022
Volume47
Fascículo1
Páginas65-79
Data de publicação2022-11-20
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoPsychology of Women Quarterly (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0361-6843 • E-ISSN: 1471-6402
EditoraSAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/03616843221136869
OpenAlexW4309446960
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas3
Referências citadas31

In the present qualitative study, we analyzed voices of female sexual assault survivors to enhance the survivor-centered framework. We reviewed over 1,000 comments from a survey asking participants to share experiences following their sexual assault. Participants were 460 female survivors, including 163 reporters (those who reported their sexual assault to police officers) and 297 nonreporters. We identified four core themes ( safety, empowerment and choice, collaboration, and explanation of procedures) as desired characteristics for the five key response personnel groups: patrol officers, detectives, sexual assault forensic examiner nurses, State's Attorney's Office staff, and victim advocates. We identified the strengths and weaknesses of each group based on the shared experiences of culturally marginalized and nonmarginalized reporters. A general free-text question answered by participants reflected on the four core themes, but also stressed the need for multiple layers of intervention in responding to sexual assault, as seen in two secondary themes ( extra support and systemic change). Nonreporters also stressed barriers to reporting and regrets about not reporting. The power of survivors’ narratives can be used to guide the criminal justice system to uphold a truly survivor-centered approach. The complexities of gender and power inequality between the perpetrators, survivors, and response personnel should also be addressed

Criminal justice · Criminology · Empowerment · Intervention (counseling · Medical emergency · Narrative · Poison control · Political science · Power (physics · Psychiatry · Sexual assault · Suicide prevention · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Intimate Partner and Family Violence · Law · Medicine · Psychology · Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies · Social Psychology