Science Explains Why Rape Victim Testimony Can Be Hard to Believe
Police and campus security administrators who investigate rape cases often don’t believe the victims. New interview techniques, however, can help officers be more effective.
Even though only 2% to 8% of sexual assault accusations are false, law enforcement officers and other campus administrators who investigate rape cases struggle to believe the victim’s side of the story. That’s because the victim might not recall details of the assault or even that the assault occurred, and during the assault, she or he probably didn’t resist. Afterwards when they describe their attacks to investigators, some victims don’t express emotion at all, while others laugh or respond in some other seemingly inappropriate way.
Research on how trauma affects the brain has shown that these responses are typical of individuals who have been sexually assaulted. It’s also why police and juries often don’t believe victims. Additionally, traditional police interrogation tactics can backfire in these cases.
Related Article: How to Investigate Campus Sexual Assaults
An open-ended, narrative approach that elicits sensory details and allows a victim to describe the assault in her own words is a better way to interview a rape survivor, reports Slate.com. Questions could include what the victim smelled, felt or heard during the incident. This information can be used to corroborate her account of the assault.
Surprisingly enough, the U.S. military is training its investigators in these interview and investigation techniques. The International Association of Chiefs of Police will also soon be providing training on this approach.
Related Articles:
- Preventing and Responding to Campus Sexual Assaults
- How to Comply With the Dept. of Ed’s Title IX Sexual Violence Guidance
- Bystanders: Your Best Weapon Against Sexual Assault
- Stalking on Campus: A Silent Epidemic
- The Federal Campus Sexual Assault Victims’ Bill Of Rights
- Abuse: The Dark Side of Dating on Campus
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