ABSTRACT

Sexual assault is a highly underreported crime, with only about one-third of victims reporting to the police. There are several reasons why victims are reluctant to report to the police, including fear of not being believed. While research estimates that only 2–8% of sexual assault reports/allegations are false, police officers have been shown to believe that false reporting occurs more frequently than it actually does, which can influence how the case progresses through the legal system. However, little research has explored how detectives come to determine that a report is ‘false’ through individual and structural influences, and how they respond to the constructed lying victim following this determination. The present study uses participant observation and qualitative interviews with detectives in a U.S. suburban police department to examine the institutional frames used when detectives construct sexual assault victims and determine if a case is false. The data indicate that determining if a victim is giving a false report is a complicated process that appears to be influenced by the institutional frames of the department and the individual-level attitudes of the detective including adherence to rape myths. We make recommendations for policing practices to increase the strength of investigations via victim cooperation and provide ideas for further research to build on this study.

摘要

性侵犯是一种被严重低估的犯罪，只有大约三分之一的受害者向警方报案。受害者不愿向警方报案有几个原因，包括害怕不被相信。虽然研究估计只有 2-8% 的性侵犯报告/指控是虚假的，但事实证明，警察认为虚假报告比实际发生的频率更高，这可能会影响案件在法律系统中的进展。然而，很少有研究探讨侦探如何通过个人和结构影响来确定报告是“错误的”，以及他们如何在此确定后对构建的撒谎受害者做出反应。本研究使用参与观察和对美国侦探的定性访谈 郊区警察局检查侦探构造性侵犯受害者时使用的制度框架，并确定案件是否虚假。数据表明，确定受害者是否提供虚假报告是一个复杂的过程，似乎受到该部门的制度框架和侦探个人层面的态度（包括坚持强奸神话）的影响。我们为警务实践提出建议，以通过受害者合作加强调查力度，并为进一步研究提供思路，以在本研究的基础上进行进一步研究。数据表明，确定受害者是否提供虚假报告是一个复杂的过程，似乎受到该部门的制度框架和侦探个人层面的态度（包括坚持强奸神话）的影响。我们为警务实践提出建议，以通过受害者合作加强调查力度，并为进一步研究提供思路，以在本研究的基础上进行进一步研究。数据表明，确定受害者是否提供虚假报告是一个复杂的过程，似乎受到该部门的制度框架和侦探个人层面的态度（包括坚持强奸神话）的影响。我们为警务实践提出建议，以通过受害者合作加强调查力度，并为进一步研究提供思路，以在本研究的基础上进行进一步研究。