The determination of victim credibility by adult and juvenile sexual assault investigators

Campbell, Bradley; Menaker, Tasha A.; King, William R.

doi:10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2014.12.001

Cited by 86 publications

(109 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…The role of the police at the pre-trial stage is to be, in effect, the 'gatekeepers' to the criminal justice system because they are responsible for making decisions regarding whether cases of potential abuse will proceed to the courts for prosecution (VLRC, 2004). While investigators, like jurors, are heavily influenced by victim credibility and the persuasiveness of the accounts (Alderden & Ullman, 2012;Bouffard, 2000;Campbell, Menaker & King, 2015;Powell, Murfett & Thomson, 2010;Spohn, Beichner & David-Frenzel, 2001;Tasca, Rodriguez, Spohn & Koss, 2013), expectations around the sufficiency of the evidence that is needed to make a charge play a major role in the decisions. Here, there seems to be a discrepancy between interviewers' and prosecutors' perceptions of the legal requirements of interviews (Guadagno, Powell & Wright, 2006;Burrows & Powell, 2014a).…”

Section: Chapter 8 -The Effect Of the Training Reform On Case Outcomementioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of a comprehensive interactive training system for investigative interviewers of children.

Benson¹,

Powell²

2015

Psychology, Public Policy, and Law

115

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Section: Chapter 8 -The Effect Of the Training Reform On Case Outcomementioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of a comprehensive interactive training system for investigative interviewers of children.

Benson¹,

Powell²

2015

Psychology, Public Policy, and Law

115

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“…In an interview study looking at police evaluations of victim credibility, Campbell, Menaker & King (2015) found that judgements were primarily based on the interpretation of victims' conduct and moral characteristics. Hence, the impression interviewees create of themselves in interview situations can affect their credibility.…”

Section: Language and Credibilitymentioning

confidence: 99%

‘She had it coming?’: An experimental study of text interpretation in a police classroom setting

Ask¹

2018

Nord J Linguist

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The aim of this study is to investigate how modifications of reporting verbs, modality, style and use of quotation marks in an authentic police report can lead to different interpretations by two groups of trainee police officers. Data was collected through an experiment in a classroom setting, where police trainees discussed two versions of the same police report in focus group discussions. The trainees’ statements were categorised into three themes: impression of the victim, impression of the accused, and assessment of the situation's severity. The results show that modifications such as formal or informal choice of words and the use of scare quotes proved to be influential linguistic modifications. In contrast, variation of reporting verbs and modality appeared less significant. The two versions of the text created different impressions of both the victim and the accused, and the interpretations of the severity of the situation depicted in the text varied between the two trainee groups. This highlights the importance of further study of the linguistic constructions of victims and perpetrators in police texts, in order to ensure credibility and equality before the law.

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“…Evidence has reiterated, however, the enduring nature of sexual assault victim blame, resulting in a number of adverse psychological consequences for survivors. Additionally, victim blame impacts the processing of sexual assault cases in the criminal justice system (Campbell, Menaker, and King 2015;Ullman 1996Ullman , 1999Ullman and Filipas 2001). Prosecutors have been more likely to reject sexual assault cases where victims are not seen as legitimate or credible due to behaviors such as refusing to cooperate with prosecution or inconsistencies in reporting details of the offense (Frohmann 1991;Spohn, Beichner, and Davis-Frenzel 2001).…”

Section: Sexual Assault Victim Blamementioning

confidence: 99%

Gendered violence and victim blame: subject perceptions of blame and the appropriateness of services for survivors of domestic sex trafficking, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence

Menaker

Franklin

2015

Journal of Crime and Justice

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The last decade has seen advances in both scholarship and advocacy efforts regarding the domestic sex trafficking (DST) of women and children, culminating in federal and state legislation addressing this human rights issue. Despite these advances, prostituted women and girls continue to face stigma and blame for victimization, similar to female survivors of other forms of gendered violence, specifically intimate partner violence (IPV) and sexual assault. Studies have yet to fully explore perceptions of DST as it intersects with these forms of gendered violence, particularly with regard to victim and perpetrator culpability. The current study uses a student sample of survey questionnaires to examine subject perceptions of gendered violence, with a focus on victim and perpetrator blame and appropriate social service responses for victims of DST, sexual assault, and IPV. Future research directions and policy implications are discussed.

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The determination of victim credibility by adult and juvenile sexual assault investigators

Cited by 86 publications

References 43 publications

Evaluation of a comprehensive interactive training system for investigative interviewers of children.

Evaluation of a comprehensive interactive training system for investigative interviewers of children.

‘She had it coming?’: An experimental study of text interpretation in a police classroom setting

Gendered violence and victim blame: subject perceptions of blame and the appropriateness of services for survivors of domestic sex trafficking, sexual assault, and intimate partner violence

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