TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2021//
TI  - "I was worried I wouldn't be believed": sexual assault victims' perceptions of the police in the decision to not report
JO  - Violence and victims
A1  - Lorenz, Katherine
A1  - Dewald, Stacy
A1  - Venema, Rachel
SP  - 455
EP  - 476
VL  - 36
IS  - 3
N2  - 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>
LA  - en
SN  - 0886-6708
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/VV-D-20-00058
ID  - ref1
ER  -