In Their Own Words: Police and Prosecutor Evaluations of Sexual Assault Victims and Sexual Assault Cases

• In Event: Understandings of Sexual Assault and Persistent Patriarchy

Abstract

A consistent finding of research on sexual assault case processing is that case outcomes are affected by the characteristics of the victim, including the credibility of the victim. Research focusing on this issue measures victim credibility as the victim’s willingness to cooperate in the investigation and prosecution of the case, questions about the victim’s character and reputation, and questions about the victim’s motivation for reporting. We use qualitative data from in-depth interviews with detectives from the Los Angeles Police Department and assistant district attorneys from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office to assess how police and prosecutors who handle sexual assault cases evaluate victim credibility. Our results reveal that credibility assessments reflect victims’ motivations for reporting, discrepancies in victim’s statements, corroborating evidence, and the victim’s behavior at the time of the alleged incident.

Authors

• Cheyenne Weaver, Arizona State University

• Jessica Lefevre, Arizona State University

• Cassia Spohn, Arizona State University