‘A lot of the time it’s dealing with victims who don’t want to know, it’s all made up, or they’ve got mental health’: rape myths in a large English police force

Gekoski, Anna, Massey, Kristina, Allen, Katherine, Ferrier, Joana, Dalton, Thistle, Horvath, Miranda and Davies, Kari (2023) ‘A lot of the time it’s dealing with victims who don’t want to know, it’s all made up, or they’ve got mental health’: rape myths in a large English police force. International Review of Victimology, 30 (1). pp. 3-24. ISSN 0269-7580

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Abstract

Despite an increase in the reporting of rape, convictions in England and Wales have fallen significantly in recent years. Previous research has found high rape myth acceptance among police officers. Given that the police act as gatekeepers to the criminal justice system, subscribing to rape myths may have significant effects upon victim attrition and conviction rates. This study explores police officers’ use of rape myths and how these may impact investigations and prosecutions. A total of 17 semi-structured interviews were conducted with police officers from a large English police force. The interview data were analysed using the qualitative method of thematic analysis. Although there were instances where officers demonstrated some awareness of the need to dispel or counter rape myths, rape myths were employed by most officers, with the most common relating to (1) victim fabrication (‘women lie’) and (2) victim precipitation (‘women ask for it’). Recommendations are made around screening and training for police officers.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: rape myths, police officers, victims, rape myth acceptance, investigation
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General)
H Social Sciences > HM Sociology
Divisions: Other Departments (Central units) > Research & Enterprise
Depositing User: Miranda Horvath
Date Deposited: 23 Jan 2023 14:36
Last Modified: 18 Sep 2024 12:42
URI: https://oars.uos.ac.uk/id/eprint/2951

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