Citation

White D, McMillan L. Fem. Criminol. 2021; 16(5): 680-700.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/15570851211031991

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Police are central to the statutory response to sexual violence, shaping the direction an investigation may take. Evidence provided by victims is also key to the processing of sexual assault cases. From a 2013 comparative qualitative study involving interviews with police officers in one province in Canada (n = 11) and one region in Scotland (n = 10) who investigate such cases, we discovered striking unanticipated differences between the two groups in terms of how they perceived victims and the evidence they provide. This paper presents a thematic analysis of these data and considers possible implications and explanations.

Language: en

Keywords

justice interests; policing; qualitative research; rape; sexual assault; victimization; women