Date of Conferral

2022

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Eric W. Hickey

Abstract

Among the U.S. military community, organizations have been established to focus solely on sexual assault reporting, prevention efforts, and support for survivors. Although more victims are reporting their sexual assault, the number of perpetrators going to prison have not increased significantly. Some studies suggest victims’ unwillingness to report and cooperate with the proponents of criminal justice process are the reasons for the lack of rightful justice. The intent of this study was to examine the interaction between law enforcement and the sexual assault victim via the perception of the victim advocate. The importance of this study was to understand whether law enforcement may influence the sexual assault victim and their desire to report or cooperate with any criminal case proceedings. One-on-one interviews with ten sexual assault victim advocates were transcribed manually to discover any underlying themes regarding their perceptions of the interaction with law enforcement and the sexual assault victim. The themes included (a) the primary sexual assault victim advocate role is a support system, (b) law enforcement demonstrated an aggressive and abrasive attitude, (c) law enforcement’s attitude and behavior suggested a lack of education and training, (d) law enforcement demonstrated a positive change in attitude and behavior, and (e) there was a disparity based on gender, socioeconomic status, or ethnicity. The results of this study may enhance understanding of how law enforcement’s initial interview with sexual assault victim influences the criminal justice process, which can determine whether sexual predators will face justice. This understanding may aid in minimizing sexual predators resulting in positive social change.

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