Behavioral-Oriented Interview of Rape Victims - The Key to Printing (From Practical Aspects of Rape Investigation, P 151-168, 1987, Robert R Hazelwood and Ann Wolbert Burgess, eds. - See NCJ-105948)

• NCJ Number: 105955
• Author(s): R R Hazelwood; A W Burgess
• Date Published: 1987
• Length: 18 pages
• Sale Source: Elsevier Science
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Guidelines for the questioning of rape victims to determine the rapist's motive for the crime focus on aspects of the offender's physical, verbal, and sexual behavior during the crime.

Abstract

Police interviews with rape victims typically omit questions that would reveal offender motivation crucial to profiling the unknown assailant. Steps in profiling the assailant are to determine from the victim what behavior was displayed by the rapist, to analyze that behavior in ascertaining the offender's motivation, and to project offender characteristics from the determined motivation. To obtain the required profiling information from the rape victim, the questioner must first establish rapport with the victim through empathy and professionalism. The questioning must determine the offender's method of initialing approaching the victim; the amount of physical force used by the rapist to control the victim; whether the victim resisted the attacker, and if so, in what manner; the rapist's reaction to any victim resistance; and whether the rapist experienced any sexual dysfunction. Other questions should focus on the type and sequence of sexual acts, the rapist's conversation, what the victim was forced to say, any sudden change in the rapist's attitude during the attack, the offender's precautionary actions, victim opinions about whether she was targeted, and whether anything was taken, and if so, what was taken. 13 references.