Re-imagining procedural justice in policing sexual violence: A new feminist paradigm centring the rights, interests and experiences of victim-survivors

• In Event: Transforming police responses to rape and sexual assault: Operation Soteria Panel 1

Abstract

Police responses to sexual violence victim-survivors have been a longstanding matter of concern, in recent years pushed to crisis point through a series of high-profile cases in England and Wales. In response, there has been a wealth of government and police-led activity. However, to date, the majority of statutory approaches to defining and operationalising successful change have primarily focused on ‘outcome justice’, i.e. charges and convictions. This overlooks the important issue of improving the treatment of victim-survivors through the criminal justice process. In this paper, we build on the existing argument that procedural justice poses a useful framing for assessing and improving police practice in the context of engaging with victim-survivors of sexual violence (Hohl et al. 2022). Specifically, we draw on feminist epistemology and conceptions of justice to develop a victim-centred theory of procedural justice, which emphasises the particular, situated positionalities of victim-survivors coming into contact with the criminal justice system. In doing so, we present a new conceptualisation of procedural justice, articulate its core constituents of fairness, dignity and respect, voice and recognition, trustworthiness and safety, and identify key implications of this work for research, policy and practice going forwards.

Authors

• Kelly Johnson, Glasgow University

• Rosa Walling-Wefelmayer, Loughborough University

• Katrin Hohl, City, University of London

• Olivia Smith, University of Loughborough