Sexual Assault Crimes Training for Law Enforcement

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Sexual Assault Crimes Trainingfor Law Enforcement

• Module 1
• Dynamics of the Crime
• Impacts on the Victim

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• What Do You Already Know?

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What You Will Learn

• Myths about sexual violence
• Dynamics of sexual assault
• Impacts of trauma on victims
• Impacts on oppressed and underserved populations
• The difference between recanting and false
  reporting

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Dynamics of Sexual Violence

• Offender most often know their victim
• Most assaults dont involve weapon, physical
  violence, or physical injury
• Very few assaults are reported to law enforcement
  
• Sexual assaults are among the least prosecuted
  crimes

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Force Usually Not Needed

• Trauma responses leave victims frozen and
  unable take action
• Offenders target victims who are vulnerable, such
  as a victim under the influence of drugs or
  alcohol
• The Use of Force Continuum used by law
  enforcement is an example of why force isnt
  necessary

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ACTIVITY

• How Many People are Affected?

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Why Are Sexual AssaultsUnder Reported?

• Shame
• Victims, or those close to the victim, often
  blame themselves for the assault
• Fear of perpetrator
• Fear of not being believed
• Lack of trust in criminal justice system
• Not wanting to think about what happened
• Fear of private information becoming public

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ACTIVITY

• Triggered Reporting

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What Do We Know About Offenders?

• Most go undetected
• Most are serial or repeat offenders
• Serial offenders are often predatory they
  identify, manipulate and exploit vulnerabilities
• Most choose to assault someone they know
• Many are respected community members

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Offender Methods

• Premeditation test, select, isolate, and groom
  victims
• Make the potential victim feel comfortable and
  able to trust the offender
• Create situations to build trust
• May use alcohol or drugs to make the victim more
  vulnerable

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Post-Assault Contact

• Some victims may have voluntary contact with
  their offender in the days, weeks, years after
  the assault.
• Why do you think a victim might want to have
  contact with the offender?

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ACTIVITY

• One Minute Review

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Common Short-Term Responses to Trauma

• Perceptual narrowing
• Dissociation
• Loss of cognitive and motor skills
• Critical incident amnesia
• Discomfort with discussing details
• Inconsistencies in relaying information, which
  does NOT mean its a false report

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Tonic Immobility

• Lack of outward physical resistance inability to
  scream, control ones body, or flee
• Internal resistance can include dissociation,
  self-talk, deciding what to do next
• Fear of increased risk of injury or death
• Gender socialization can make women more likely
  to feel that they have to be subservient to the
  desires of men

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Trauma Alters Memory

• Trauma causes the brain to record memory
  differently
• A different, more primitive part of the brain is
  activated - the amygdala
• Memories are fragmented and intrusive
• Victims may temporarily forget some details of
  assault, which may be remembered later

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Trauma Informed Interviewing

• Always remember to do the following when working
  with a victim of sexual assault
• LISTEN and dont interrupt
• Ask for only what they can recall at the moment
• Be comfortable with pauses
• Avoid leading questions
• Let the victim know they can ask for a break
• Let the victim know its okay to say I dont
  know
• Keep in mind that information gathered following
  experiencing a trauma may come out in spurts, be
  out of order, or be inaccurate
• You will be able to sort out an accurate timeline
  later

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ACTIVITY

• What Would You Tell a Colleague about Trauma?

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Oppressed and Underserved Communities

• What groups or communities commonly experience
  oppression
• or are historically underserved?

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ACTIVITY

• BECAUSE OF

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Barriers and Added Layers

• Historically, some populations experience
  harassment, discrimination, and violence at
  higher rates. People from these communities may
  have additional concerns when thinking about
  reporting their assault to law enforcement.
• Fear of being treated differently or poorly
• Fear of having the assault blamed on their
  identity
• Fear of public disclosure of their identity or
  status
• Mistrust of the criminal justice system based on
  prior negative experience(s)
• Reluctance to betray their own community
• Citizenship status, language barriers, or other
  challenges

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Offenders Know This

• Offenders use this knowledge to exploit the
  vulnerabilities of their victims. Some examples
  include
• An offender who knows their spouse is reliant on
  their citizenship status
• An abusive care taker who knows they are
  responsible for meeting the basic needs of a
  person with a disability
• An offender who threatens to share the HIV status
  of their victim

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Cultural Issues Can Be a Factor

• Some communities have a fear or mistrust of the
  police
• Some religious traditions might impact what or
  how much a victim discloses about the assault
• Some communities have had negative interactions
  with the criminal justice system in the past

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Working with Underserved Populations

• Show sensitivity
• Keep in mind that they have likely had a negative
  experience with a person in a position of power
  in the past
• Be mindful about victims fears of working with
  law enforcement

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ACTIVITY

• Recanting vs. False Reports
• What are some red flags that might lead you to
  doubt a victims account?

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Victim May Give You Information

• Remember that experiencing trauma can affect
  memory. Victims might share information that is
  
• Not consistent
• Not true
• Not complete
• But that does NOT mean its a false report.

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What is a False Report?

• A report of a sexual assault that did not happen
  it was not completed or attempted
• How many false reports are there?

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What is a Recanting?

• When someone recants, they are making a formal
  retraction of a previously held statement. But
  it does not mean the sexual assault did not take
  place.
• Why might a person recant their initial report of
  being the victim of a sexual assault?

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Why Victims Might Recant

• Fear of retaliation by offender
• Fear about not being believed
• Hesitancy about participating in the criminal
  justice system
• Fear of opening up old wounds from previous
  trauma
• Concerns about loss of privacy
• Threats by the offender, or their family or
  friends

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ACTIVITY

• Design a Sample Case

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Checklists to Review on Your Own

• What to SAY to a Victim During First Response
• What to SAY to a Victim During the Follow Up
  Interview
• What to GIVE a Victim
• Forensic Exams

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Special Thanks

• Special thanks to Joanne Archambault, End
  Violence Against Women International (EVAWI).
  Foundational material in this module is based on
  concepts and information found in the Online
  Training Institute developed by EVAWI. For more
  information, please contact
• Joanne Archambault, Executive Director
• End Violence Against Women International (EVAWI)
• http//www.evawintl.org/onlinetraining.aspx
• This module was produced by Connecticut Sexual
  Assault Crisis Services, Inc. (CONNSACS) in
  collaboration with the Connecticut Police
  Officers Standards and Training Council
  (POSTC) and the Connecticut Police Chiefs
  Association (CPCA) through the support of
  subgrant No. 2009-WF-AX-0019 awarded by the state
  administrating office for the STOP Formula Grant
  Program.  The opinions, findings, conclusions,
  and recommendations expressed in this publication
  are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily
  reflect the views of the state or the U.S.
  Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against
  Women.