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Mistrust of Rape Victims - Experiences With the Police and Criminal Justice System

NCJ Number
104280
Author(s)
H Fehrmann; K Jakobs; R Junker; C Warnke
Editor(s)
M C Baurmann
Date Published
1986
Length
162 pages
Annotation
Four papers on the experiences of rape victims in the criminal justice system are derived from the four authors' examination of the records of 84 cases of attempted and actual rape occurring over 1 year in the city of Bremen, West Germany; 45 victims were interviewed.
Abstract
One study notes that police officers did not generally view rape attempts as having occurred unless some element of rape had been undertaken by the offender. Women's reports of attempted rape were generally dismissed by the system. The level of police commitment to the investigation of a reported rape varied according to the victim's social position, lifestyle, and behavior, e.g., delayed reporting of the rape. The second paper reports that rape victims generally perceived the police as more helpful and empathic than the victims had anticipated. Victim complaints, however, included multiple interviews by different officers and police refusal to permit the husband or a friend of the victim to be present at police interviews. The third paper reports on the finding that the state attorney's office, which is statutorily required to manage criminal investigations, generally entrusted rape investigations to police and followed police recommendations on case dispositions without a critical review of the investigation. The fourth paper advises that the criminal justice system is responsible for providing victim services, which should include the provision of opportunities for victims to influence case proceedings, informing victims of their right to counsel, and attention to the psychic effects of the offense on the victim. For a summary of the papers, see NCJ 104214.

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