@article{ref1,
title=""I was worried I wouldn't be believed": sexual assault victims' perceptions of the police in the decision to not report",
journal="Violence and victims",
year="2021",
author="Lorenz, Katherine and Dewald, Stacy and Venema, Rachel",
volume="36",
number="3",
pages="455-476",
abstract="Most sexual assault victims make the conscious decision to not report to the police. Concerns about the police appear to be prominent in victims' decision-making, but we do not know specifically what these concerns entail, and therefore cannot address them. A qualitative inquiry is needed to understand perceptions of the police in reporting decisions, from the voices of victims themselves. Participants (N = 175) responded to an open-ended survey question about their decision to not report to the police following sexual victimization. Analyses revealed that police perceptions shaped the decision to not report for 36% (n = 63) of participants. Nonreporting decisions related to the police fell into two themes: concerns of police treatment and previous/vicarious negative experiences with the police. We include recommendations for police and a call for alternative reporting options.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0886-6708",
doi="10.1891/VV-D-20-00058",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/VV-D-20-00058"
}