Policing sexual violence: Interpreting perceptions of victims of sexual violence

• In Event: 2132 - Topics in Criminology

Abstract

Despite attempts to rectify the injustices experienced by victims of sexual violence within the criminal justice system, unfounded rates for sexual violence remain high and many victims continue to feel disempowered and voice-less. In this context, police officers are torn between the struggle of representing the voiceless and disempowered, while also needing to protect those who are falsely accused from the stigma of a sex offender. Recognizing the lack of empirical knowledge on the understandings of victims among police who respond to and investigate forms of sex crimes, in this paper we draw on interviews with officers working in Internet Child Exploitation, sex crimes, and sexual assault/child abuse units across 10 Canadian police service organizations to understand how police interpret and respond to child, youth, and adult victims of sex crimes. We unpack the range of interpretations of victims, explore if and how interpretations of victims translate into police perceptions of their interactions with victims and their interpretations of the possible outcomes that can be offered in the investigation, and highlight the difficulties officers encounter as they strive to balance their occupational role with victims’ needs. We argue that police interpretations of sexual violence and sexual violence victims are shaped by the officer’s adherence to or rejection of understandings of the “ideal victim”.

Authors

• Rosemary Ricciardelli, Memorial University of Newfoundland

• Dale C. Spencer, Carleton University

• Alexa Dodge, Carleton University