Sexual Assault Crisis Centre Workers' Perceptions of Law Enforcement: Defining the Situation from a Systems Perspective

Abstract

To date, the literature tends to be rife with research examining individuals' perceptions of the police. Most of this research had focused on how members of the public perceived law enforcement. Missing from this research were two types of studies: (1) those examining how certain types of professionals perceive the problems they have collaborating with law enforcement; and (2) those examining the consequences of those perceptions. This study addressed that void by considering how 44 sexual assault crisis workers described their experiences in collaborating with law enforcement agencies. In the discussion, attention was given to the possible consequences of these perceptions. Implications are provided.

Conscience and convenience: American victim work in organizational context

“…Victim workers embedded within public agencies are particularly well situated to enhance the level of responsiveness and compassion that victims encounter when they interface with the legal system. Conversely, a lack of cooperation and partnership from police and prosecutors' offices adds to the stress of advocacy (Payne and Thompson, 2008).…”

Sexual Violence in Japan: Implications of the Lay Judge System on Victims of Sexual Violence

“…Fujimori (2001) mentions of a rape victim who went to the police to report the incident only to be told that rapists could not be cured and that they would repeat the act after release from prison. Negative and unsupportive attitudes of criminal justice professionals are well documented (e.g., Campbell & Johnson, 1997;Frohmann, 1991;Payne & Thompson, 2008), and inadvertently could lead to secondary victimization of rape victims (Campbell, Wasco, Ahrens, Self, & Barnes, 2001), which could further discourage victims not to report to the police or cooperate with the prosecution of the case.…”

Advocates Speak Out on Adult Sexual Assault: A Unique Crime Demands a Unique Response

“…Payne and Thompson (2006) found a lack of collaboration between law enforcement and advocates in policy discrepancies around how, when, and what evidence was collected. The researchers noted that advocates felt that some law enforcement officers largely ignored acquaintance rape.…”