NCJ Number
177172
Journal
Law & Social Inquiry Volume: 22 Issue: 1 Dated: Winter 1997 Pages: 1-54
Date Published
1997
Length
54 pages
Annotation
This article calls for attention to the importance of maintaining a perception of procedural justice among rape survivors and for further research into pre-court preparation.
Abstract
The article is based on intensive interviews with 32 rape survivors and background interviews with prosecutors, victim witness advocates and rape crisis workers. Prosecutors used 20 modes of preparation to construct rape survivors as credible victims for judges and jurors. They oriented the rape survivor to the scope of the witness role and her place in the interaction with legal actors, and directed her to enhance the credibility of her story and the credibility of her self-presentation. Prosecutors prepared respondents more thoroughly for trials than for preliminary hearings, but little overall, and a large minority of respondents were dissatisfied with the preparation they received. The article discusses policy implications of the research, primarily developing the politics of victims' needs. Notes, tables, appendix, references