Legal and Extralegal Correlates of Victim Credibility in Sexual Assault Cases: An Analysis of Cases Coded by Police Investigators

• In Event: Policing Sexual Violence

Abstract

Existing literature on sexual assault case outcomes has demonstrated that victim credibility is a critical component in police and prosecutorial decision-making with regard to arrest and charge decisions. Comparatively less research has examined the specific legal and extralegal characteristics that impact criminal justice actors’ evaluations of victim credibility. Moreover, few studies have used data coded by criminal justice practitioners to evaluate correlates of victim credibility. The current study used data from 500 sexual assault cases, coded by police investigators from a large municipal department’s Sexual Assault Investigation Unit, to determine the legal and extra-legal characteristics most important to police practitioner evaluations of credibility among sexual assault victims. Policy implications and future research directions regarding victim credibility in sexual assault cases are discussed.

Authors

• Bradley A. Campbell, Sam Houston State University

• Cortney A. Franklin, Sam Houston State University

• William (Bill) Wells, Sam Houston State University