All victims of crime deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. However, certain myths and misperceptions about victimization can lead officers to misperceive victim behaviors and doubt their credibility even when they are telling the truth. Many of these misperceptions arise from a lack of understanding about how traumatic events psychologically, behaviorally, and physiologically affect individuals, i.e., how victims act before, during, and following a crime and when they are interviewed. Learning to recognize and address assumptions and stereotypes is crucial in transforming “respect for victims” from a concept to practices that improve evidence collection and procedural justice, and safety for the victim.  

The sections below provide examples of agencies in three stages of development:  

Lagging Behind, when an agency does not have a formal policy or the practices are outdated and/or harmful; 

Making Progress, when an agency uses practices that are considered the minimum standard; and  

Leading the Way, when an agency has researched promising practices and implements best practices tailored to the needs of victims. 

The examples provided below are not exhaustive for each category; they are only meant to illustrate the types of practices common at each stage.  

  • Officers’ misperceptions of victim behaviors may lead to inaccurate documentation, assumptions, and perpetuation of stereotypes about victims and offenders. These misperceptions may influence both individual choices made by agency personnel and overall agency culture and practices.  

  • Officers tend to focus on victims’ behavior and perceive the victim as lacking credibility based on misconceptions about victim behavior and how victims recount what they experienced.  

  • Officers’ misperceptions about domestic violence and sexual assault (DVSA) may lead to failure to adequately respond to victims’ crime reports, closing cases prematurely or incorrectly, and impeding both victim recovery and offender accountability.  

  • Most officers have received training on trauma but may not yet consistently recognize how trauma can impact behavior before, during, or after an incident.  

  • Policies to guide trauma-informed DVSA response exist, but are not consistently followed.  

  • The quality of response to DVSA crimes is inconsistent and officer-dependent.  

  • ​​Training does not focus on the specific role and actions of first responding officer(s) to DVSA calls.       ​​ 

  • ​​​​Training does not address or emphasize the importance of good report-writing practices for DVSA reports. 

  • Policies, procedures, training, and supervision specifically address misperceptions about DVSA to educate agency personnel and enhance victim and community safety.    

  • ​​Policies recognize and address biases, assumptions, and stereotypes about victims and perpetrators.   

  • A culture of victim understanding and support and focus on offender accountability is present throughout all levels and divisions of the agency.     

  • ​​Officers (including patrol and investigators) understand their role beginning at the onset of officer response through to trial.  ​     ​ 

  • Officers (including patrol and investigators) thoroughly understand the neurobiology of trauma and how trauma can impact victim behaviors.  

  • Officers (including patrol and investigators) employ interviewing tactics that encourage a victim to participate and provide facts about the incident.  

  • Officers provide victims with information on how to obtain medical treatment and undergo a forensic exam. 

  • Officers provide victims with information on how to obtain medical treatment, including where they can access forensic exam services. 
  • The agency uses a co-responder model or officers routinely provide referrals to local community-based advocacy and other victim-centered services.  

  • ​​​Officers provide information to the victim when an arrest is not made, including:  

    • Reasons that an arrest is not being made.​​ 
    • Information about their rights as a victim of a crime.  
    • Other options available, such as the process and procedures for filing and submitting a criminal complaint. 
    • Contact information for the officer/investigator handling the case. ​​​

Explore the resources below for guidance on how to move beyond “Lagging Behind” and “Making Progress” to “Leading the Way.” The resources will help to understand how trauma affects memory and the way in which a victim both gives their account and behaves before, during, or following an assault: 

 

 

 

This project was supported by Grant No. 15JOVW-22-GK-04008-MUMU, awarded by the Office on Violence Against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed on this page are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the U.S. Department of Justice.