Not even remotely surprised. There’s a reason most rapes aren’t reported. Of the 100 or so rape survivors I’ve spoken to, only one reported. I never did.
* Approach the victim in a compassionate, empathetic way
* Tell the person that it’s OK if they don’t remember or don’t know
* Ask open-ended questions and don’t interrupt
* Ask what they felt during an assault
* Ask them about sights, smells, and sounds to jog memories
* If tough questions need to be asked, explain why
* When done, explain the next steps
* Victim advocates need to be involved as soon possible
* Screen all cases in person to make sure the investigations were thorough
* Test all rape kits
* Instead of interviewing victims in the same cramped bare room where they interrogated suspects, officers renovated a larger, more home like space outfitted with couches and table lamps
2 comments
Not even remotely surprised. There’s a reason most rapes aren’t reported. Of the 100 or so rape survivors I’ve spoken to, only one reported. I never did.
[Three-quarters of rape victims are directly harmed by the police response](https://www.theguardian.com/society/2023/sep/21/three-quarters-of-survivors-say-police-response-damaged-their-mental-health), highlighting the need for improvements. The [International Association for Chiefs of Police](https://www.theiacp.org/) offers [free training](https://www.theiacp.org/projects/trauma-informed-sexual-assault-investigations) for law enforcement on trauma-informed sexual assault investigations, as well as [best practices for SA investigative strategies](https://www.theiacp.org/resources/document/sexual-assault-incident-reports-investigative-strategies.Vetera)n sex crimes detective Sergeant Joanne Archambault founded [End Violence Against Women International](https://evawintl.org), which offers [free training](https://evawintl.org/wp-content/uploads/FacilitatorsGuide-ATraumaInformedResponsetoSexualAssault.pdf) for sexual assault investigations, as well as [the neurobiology of trauma](https://evawintl.org/wp-content/uploads/2019-12_TB-Becoming-Trauma-Informed-Trauma-to-Victim-Interviews-1.pdf) and [the implications for interviewing victims](https://evawintl.org/wp-content/uploads/2016-11_TB-Neurobiology-2.pdf) (which has thousands of downloads/year).Briefly, the following [are considered best practices by law enforcement](https://www.reddit.com/r/ProtectAndServe/comments/zvoevz/comment/j1qm0g6/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3):
* Approach the victim in a compassionate, empathetic way
* Tell the person that it’s OK if they don’t remember or don’t know
* Ask open-ended questions and don’t interrupt
* Ask what they felt during an assault
* Ask them about sights, smells, and sounds to jog memories
* If tough questions need to be asked, explain why
* When done, explain the next steps
* Victim advocates need to be involved as soon possible
* Screen all cases in person to make sure the investigations were thorough
* Test all rape kits
* Instead of interviewing victims in the same cramped bare room where they interrogated suspects, officers renovated a larger, more home like space outfitted with couches and table lamps
​
Beyond seeking justice for the victim, help them recover from their assault [A high probability of apprehension by law enforcement is critical to deterrence](https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/10.1086/670398.pdf?casa_token=RFbTNb935q8AAAAA:gX8TZVQ3fVqh_LnX0-xe0Vhb1j8gdnMOjO_siOxZV2V1mM7Q_U7JpC7XOTtzz9x-thIK0cnjQt34MrtRagyvcTQh2jhUHr-TeG-3aqQi_1ebRU9FQSqB). To that end, it can be helpful to be familiar with [the neurobiology of trauma](https://evawintl.org/wp-content/uploads/2019-12_TB-Becoming-Trauma-Informed-Trauma-to-Victim-Interviews-1.pdf) and [the nuances of consent](https://www.reddit.com/r/stoprape/wiki/index/#wiki_what_is_consent.3F). DNA evidence has also revealed that [serial offenders often target strangers and non-strangers. Offending patterns are not a consistently reliable link across assaults.](https://evawintl.org/wp-content/uploads/JofCrimJustice_Offendingpatterns.pdf) You can also learn how to identify sex offenders by typology [here](https://smart.ojp.gov/somapi/chapter-3-sex-offender-typologies).
r/stoprape