Three-quarters of rape survivors say police response damaged their mental health
Posted by RaskolnikovX on September 21, 2023, 9:31 am
As always seems to be the case with these articles, there's lots of invective but very little detail. It's clear the system for policing sexual assault and rape is woefully indaequate but where are the suggestions to improve it. Even when they mention the ongoing project that is supposed to do just that, they don't include any details of how they are planning to do it. From what I've seen the main metric of success is just more convictions.
Also, the ridiculous phrasing highlighted doesn't do them any favours; "countless survivors..." said in response to a survery. How is that countless? That kind of hyperbole suggests at least a lack of rigour.
The full extent of the trauma rape survivors experience as a direct result of their interaction with police has been shown for the first time in a damning official survey.
Three-quarters of respondents to the largest ever survey of rape and sexual assault survivors in England and Wales said their mental health was damaged “as a direct result of what police did, or failed to do, in their case”, according to researchers.
The survey, which is funded by the Home Office, exposes multiple failures in the policing of serious sexual crimes, and reveals that “countless respondents said their rapist went on to sexually offend again against them and/or others because police did not take their report seriously”.
Women described feeling more traumatised by their experience with the police than they had been by the original rape. One woman wrote: “I am more afraid of the police than being raped again.” Only 14% of respondents said they felt safer as a result of what the police did, while 39% said they felt less safe. ???????????????
Andrea Simon, the director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said the survey showed that the criminal justice system was “often a site of harm” for survivors of rape. “All of this shapes whether women trust and engage with the police and whether justice is delivered. This is a fundamental human rights issue,” she said.
In a week where some public figures have questioned why women who made allegations of rape and sexual assault against Russell Brand did not go to the police, the survey reveals that half of respondents said they had lost trust in the police because of their response, while 56% of respondents said they would be unlikely to report any future rapes. “I can confidently say I will never be contacting the police for help again,” wrote one.
Well that will surely improve the conviction rate and get rapists off the streets. Do they want precogs to solve the cases ala Minority Report?
The survey, carried out by a team at City, University of London, also heard from 190 survivors who chose not to report to the police. The most common reason given was because they felt too ashamed and embarrassed, followed by a fear they would not be believed, and a lack of trust in police. It found that 42% of respondents who did go to the police did not feel believed, only half felt officers were respectful and kind, while 31% said they did not always feel safe with officers.
The survey, which is supported by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC), gathered an unprecedented 1,968 responses from victims with police experience over five and a half months. While it is not nationally representative it provided “unique” insight and evidence of survivors’ experiences, said the lead researcher, Katrin Hohl, a professor of criminology and criminal justice at City, University of London.
“Survivors are doing the rest of society a service if they report to police, so we urgently need to improve their experience,” she said. “We know some officers are getting it right. But it needs to be consistently right, we cannot afford for any survivor to be further damaged by their experience of the criminal justice system.”
The survey, which is continuing until June 2024, has been carried out as part of Operation Soteria Bluestone, a new approach to sex attackers which is being introduced across all 43 police forces in England and Wales. Its scathing first-year report, published in December, exposed persistent failings in the criminal justice system, including a failure to track repeat suspects, “explicit victim-blaming” and botched investigations.
In the past six months, victims’ experiences had been more positive, said the authors, but they noted that could reflect the fact that this was often the case in the initial stages of a police investigation. Of her largely positive experience, one victim wrote that she had responded to inspire other forces. “It can be done!” she wrote. “Compassion, kindness and integrity goes a long way!”
The minister for safeguarding, Sarah Dines said the government was committed to funding Operation Soteria to produce “radical improvements” in how the criminal justice system treats rape, and the police watchdog would inspect progress soon.
Sarah Crew, a chief constable who is the NPCC lead on rape, thanked survivors and said their bravery in speaking about their experiences would “form a significant part in how policing will improve their response to rape and sexual offences”.
Polices forces were welcoming scrutiny, she added. “This is not easy, but it is vital, we are determined to do better for victims.”
...no amount of cajolery, and no attempts at ethical or social seduction, can eradicate from my heart a deep burning hatred for the Tory Party...So far as I am concerned they are lower than vermin.
Oh well, trial by media it is then... what could go wrong? (nm)
...I hear calls for fairness from reasonable people that there should be no "trial by media" and that the process of law should decide guilt or innocence.
-It's too late. Its fairly obvious that the media trial has already taken place, the guilty verdict reached and that leaves virtually no chance that any kind of fair trial could take place after all this. The state intelligence and propaganda institutions will be already celebrating in the wine bars of London with a wink and a laugh: "...The jobs done and its a good 'un" ...
What potential jury could ever pretend be free of prejudice when every prurient mainstream outlet has been pounding the public relentlessly with a salacious and quite poisonous drip feed of half fact and innuendo...all amplified by the megaphone of that treasured & trusted institution the BBC?
Brand is already toast.
Re: Three-quarters of rape survivors say police response damaged their mental health
Does the Home Office bother to study the effect of allegations on people who are not tried or acquitted? Using allegations to convictions to measure success when other crimes are measured by trials to convictions is a dishonest tactic that adds insult to injury.Clio the cat, ? July 1997 - 1 May 2016 Kira the cat, ? ? 2010 - 3 August 2018 Jasper the Ruffian cat ? ? ? - 4 November 2021
Re: Three-quarters of rape survivors say police response damaged their mental health
This kind of article is, to say the least... problematic, mainly because the Guardian chooses to link it to allegations against Russell Brand, who, as they must know, surely, hasn't been interviewed by the police, hasn't subsequently been cautioned or charged, hasn't been tried in court of law, and, finaly hasn't been found guilty of committing any crime, yet.
This is an attempt to establish guilt by association between Brand and a vast number of other sexual crimes and allegations about sexual crimes. It's extremely poor journalism and harmful to Brand and could so taint him in the eyes of the public that his chances of a fair trial by a jury, who have been 'groomed' by the Guardian and the rest of the media, undermines the presumption of innocence and due process. Thankfully, juries seem to take their responsibilities seriously, unlike Guardian journalists.
This all reminds me of the way the Guardian covered the Assange Affair and the outrageous accusations against Jeremy Corbyn. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but this, on a purely factual basis, seems to look like a pattern of behavior by the Guardian, which certainly resemble a form of unwitting conspiracy aimed at an individual the Guardian takes an exception to for some reason.
Who actually 'enjoys' going to the police or becoming involved with a police investigation? What about the victims of robberies? What about people involved in violence? The Guardian's allegation is that the police deliberately don't take women 'seriously' who come forward with claims about sexual violence and then the conviction rates problem is lumped in with that, to show that the lack of convictions is a structural problem caused by police attitudes and lack of action, because the claimants are women.
That's a pretty big claim by the Guardian and feminist activists, which requires really big evidence to back it up.
What if it isn't the fault of the police or the courts, but is really about the nature of the crime? The circumstances surrounding the offence?
This is
Re: Three-quarters of rape survivors say police response damaged their mental health
My impression is that the accused is often found not guilty in theses cases because it’s so hard to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. But even if not found guilty, the accused is usually harshly punished by society and pays a big price, as is the case here.
There was a case similar to Brand’s in Canada where a handsome popular celebrity was accused by several women of sexual assault. In his case, the story was that it started out with consent but he liked rough sex, which the women did not feel that they had consented to. He was found not guilty but his media career was toast. In that case, I believed he was guilty but I had to accept that he couldn’t be proven so beyond a reasonable doubt. As SueC says below, some process other than a court trial might (would probably) get better outcomes all the way around.
FWIW, my view is that the law is too blunt an instrument to deal with many rape allegations
This is controversial I know but I think the law is too blunt an instrument to deal with many rape allegations. Take the issue of consent. It's portrayed as simple - 'yes, I want to have sex with this guy' or 'hell no, absolutely no, not ever, no, no, no'. The realities in relationships between men and women are a little different. Many women, if they're honest, are often deeply ambivalent about whether or not they want to sleep with a specific guy so they sort of go along, not saying 'no' but not really saying a whole hearted 'yes' either. Some women decide afterwards they really didn't want that to happen and so a sexual assault/rape allegation is born. It's important to say that these woman are not consciously making false allegations. They believe their reluctance, although non-verbal, was obvious and their partner *should* have picked up on it and stopped. Add in alcohol, possibly recreational drugs and, most importantly, the fact that the couple often don't know each other very well or at all and you have a nightmare to untangle and investigate.
From the guy's perspective, he's genuinely baffled by an accusation of rape. She didn't say 'no', didn't resist and seemed into it. This is why cases don't get taken to court and juries are reluctant to convict in many of the ones that do.
I think both parties might be better served by some sort of 'Truth and Reconciliation Committee' - the law is a very blunt instrument when dealing with intimate behaviour.
Re: FWIW, my view is that the law is too blunt an instrument to deal with many rape allegations
I'm not sure that things like this can be a matter of gender, it relies too much on a stereotype of men wanting it and women deciding to agree or not. I'd be surprised if this is true, rather that ambivalence is a human quality that can be found in anyone.Clio the cat, ? July 1997 - 1 May 2016 Kira the cat, ? ? 2010 - 3 August 2018 Jasper the Ruffian cat ? ? ? - 4 November 2021
Re: FWIW, my view is that the law is too blunt an instrument to deal with many rape allegations
Human 'mating' rituals and practices, are extremely complex. One also needs to keep in mind that what people say about sex/love and how they actually behave, are two completely different things.
Young people, in general, seem to need an awful lot of alcohol and drugs these days to loosen up their inhibitions. Getting proper hammered can make the mating process/ritual easier, but it can also lead to an awful lot of problems.
Where I live, girls are sexually active earlier and earlier, which would shock those middle class feminist ladies over at the Guardian. Their jaws wold drop like stones. Better diet and health means girls are maturing earlier than they did just a few decades ago, at least physically. They start having sex virtually as soon as they start menstruating. They even have phrase for it. Zipper ready. Or, another one, pants ready.
A little later, around sixteen, one of the biggest problems is that the girls complain that the boys can't get proper erections because they've taken too many of these new fangled drugs!
Those middle class wanker 'feminist' should get their over-educated heads, so full of bullshit and dogmas, out of their waxed arses, and take an honest look at the real world!
Re: FWIW, my view is that the law is too blunt an instrument to deal with many rape allegations
I agree, Sue. It’s often, not always, very difficult to establish the facts in a sexual assault accusation. And the relationships involved are often complex and fraught.
But boys should be taught and men should learn that yes means yes, and no or no answer means no.
Re: FWIW, my view is that the law is too blunt an instrument to deal with many rape allegations
Apologies for being irreverent but that's a perfect set up to post this :
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...no amount of cajolery, and no attempts at ethical or social seduction, can eradicate from my heart a deep burning hatred for the Tory Party...So far as I am concerned they are lower than vermin.
This is their proposed solution although this is a couple of years old. These courts have been running for a while in Scotland as a test rol out I believe. Not seen anything on the results....no amount of cajolery, and no attempts at ethical or social seduction, can eradicate from my heart a deep burning hatred for the Tory Party...So far as I am concerned they are lower than vermin.
Re: FWIW, my view is that the law is too blunt an instrument to deal with many rape allegations
From the little I've seen, and as I've said in another thread somewhere, success seems to be predicated on more convictions and not much else. All the talk of "specially qualified judges" seems to mean "judges who will convict more on the same evidence we currently acquit on".
It's a uniquely difficult crime to prosecute though. ...no amount of cajolery, and no attempts at ethical or social seduction, can eradicate from my heart a deep burning hatred for the Tory Party...So far as I am concerned they are lower than vermin.
Re: FWIW, my view is that the law is too blunt an instrument to deal with many rape allegations
"judges who will convict more on the same evidence we currently acquit on"
More thatJuries currently acquit on"
The whole thing is a scam come up with by Sturgeon and her clique to get rid of juries and is being fronted up by Dorrian in a fit of pique over the acquitting Alex Salmond.
Dorrian was the trial judge at the Salmond trial and disallowed so much evidence out of hand it was clear that she was quite desperate for the conviction.
Craig Murray has quite a lot to say about her as she was also responsible for his imprisonment.
of corruption. If the state wants more rape convictions it should pay for better investigation, not by removing justice.Clio the cat, ? July 1997 - 1 May 2016 Kira the cat, ? ? 2010 - 3 August 2018 Jasper the Ruffian cat ? ? ? - 4 November 2021
Re: It stinks
Posted by Ken Waldron on September 22, 2023, 1:37 pm, in reply to "It stinks"
of corruption. If the state wants more rape convictions it should pay for better investigation, not by removing justice.
-Indeed. But Sturgeon and her #MeToo cohorts weren't and aren't concerned with facts as the Salmond case proved. They just want convictions and imprisonments so summary justice will do.
The aim being less sexual activity, and it seems they are amazed how easy this was ..
Posted by Shyaku on September 22, 2023, 6:41 pm, in reply to "Re: It stinks"
on September 21, 2023, 9:31 am
: