Affiliation:
1. Institute of Environmental Medicine (IMM), Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
2. Faculty of Business, Law, and Social Sciences, Birmingham City University, Birmingham, UK
Abstract
This study focused on raped women's perceptions of their encounters with Swedish police, with a specific focus on quality of encounters, trust, questions asked during police interviews, and perceptions of justice. One hundred and six rape victims, 74 of whom had reported to the police, answered a web-based questionnaire. Results show that where officers explained their line of questioning the perceived intrusiveness of the questioning was lower, as was the level of perceived victim-blaming. Higher quality police encounters were associated with higher trust in the legal system and in police work, and with higher levels of received justice. Findings highlight the importance of trauma-informed policing as a response to sexual assault and provide insights which might help inform policy and practice developments, both in Sweden and more generally.
Funder
Swedish Crime Victim Support and Compensation Authority
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