Civil Legal Services and Survivor-Defined Justice
A Qualitative Study with US Civil Legal Attorneys for Sexual Assault Survivors
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6451752 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jane E Palmer (0000-0003-4480-0782, American University, Department of Justice, Law & Criminology, USA, corresponding author), Jeong-Gyeong Lee (0000-0002-0680-374X, Boise State University), Jacqueline Lee (0000-0002-0189-1082, Boise State University), Emily Michels (American University, Community-Based Research Scholars program, USA) |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 34 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 275-295 |
| Publication date | 2024-05-16 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Social & Legal Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0964-6639 • E-ISSN: 1461-7390 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/09646639241253094 |
| OpenAlex | W4396967333 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 29 |
In the United States and elsewhere, civil legal services are an overlooked strategy in the response to sexual assault. Contrary to the criminal legal system, civil legal remedies can offer supports that are specific to survivors’ immediate needs in the aftermath of sexual assault. To learn more about this legal strategy, we explored three areas: 1) civil legal needs of survivors; 2) barriers to seeking civil legal services; and 3) what survivor-defined justice might look like. In-depth interviews were conducted with 24 civil legal attorneys who work with survivors of sexual assault in the US. Results indicate that survivors have a multitude of overlapping legal needs outside of the criminal legal system, especially related to increasing agency, safety, and stability in their lives. Yet, several barriers exist that prevent access to these legal remedies. Despite these barriers, attorneys outlined how survivors’ lives have been positively affected by the services they offer. Attorneys also spoke to what “survivor-defined justice” might look like for their clients in this context. The results support the need to expand our conceptualization of justice beyond what the criminal legal system can offer. Implications for advancing civil remedies as a survivor-centered legal strategy are discussed
Civil rights · Criminology · Economic Justice · Medical emergency · Poison control · Political science · Sexual assault · Sexual violence · Sociology · Suicide prevention · Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis · Intimate Partner and Family Violence · Law · Medicine · Psychology · Sexual Assault and Victimization Studies
Barriers to Services for Rural and Urban Survivors of Rape
Understanding Rape Survivors' Decisions Not to Seek Help from Formal Social Systems
Police Officer Schema of Sexual Assault Reports
Community services for rape survivors
Campus and College Victim Responses to Sexual Assault and Dating Violence
The “Justice Gap” for Sexual Assault Cases
Civil Legal Aid and Domestic Violence
From carceral feminism to transformative justice
The Criminal Justice System’s Response to Sexual Violence
Social Reactions and Women’s Decisions to Report Sexual Assault to Law Enforcement
Justice From the Victim’s Perspective
Rape Reporting After Reforms
Kaleidoscopic Justice
Injustice Disrupted
Civil Protection Orders and their Courtroom Context
Not bullet proof’
Social Reactions to Sexual Assault Disclosure, Coping, Perceived Control, and PTSD Symptoms in Sexual Assault Victims
Sexual assault history, PTSD, and mental health service seeking in a national sample of women
Challenging the Pursuit of Criminalisation in an Era of Mass Incarceration
Gender and Crime
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |