Procedural justice theory applied to victim-survivor interactions with police: findings from a large national survey

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

Abstract

Police treatment of victims of crime, in particular victims of serious crimes, is a blind spot of Procedural Justice Theory. Procedural Justice Theory is the dominant theoretical paradigm in explaining why and how the quality of police interactions impacts on people’s perceptions of police fairness, their trust in the police, and willingness to cooperate. The theory is test extensively in population surveys with hypothetical scenarios of police-initiated contact where either a person’s options for non-cooperation are limited, e.g. stop and search, or where little is at stake, e.g. reporting pick-pocketing. Yet, surprisingly little research has explored the applicability of the framework to the context of victim’s perceptions of police fairness, even less specifically for rape victims whose experiences of police treatment are notoriously poor, and willingness to report to police is low. In this article we provide preliminary findings from the first rigorous empirical testing of procedural justice theory using a large, national online survey of victims of rape and sexual assault whose case has been investigated by a British police force. We provide initial findings and discuss the theoretical and practical implications.

Authors

• Katrin Hohl, City, University of London

• Jonathan Jackson, London School of Economics

• Ben Bradford, University College London