Megan Hermolle
School of Psychology
How are rape perpetrators constructed in police interviews with rape victims ?
The general population , and professionals who deal with rape , are more likely to accept perpetrator-based rape stereotypes such as “ rapists are likely to be strangers ”. This is harmful to rape victims as most rapes are ‘ acquaintance ’ rapes , so jurors and professionals may not believe them . Consequently , prosecutors are only taking on ‘ easy ’ cases . I am therefore exploring how perpetrators are constructed by the interviewer during police interviews with rape victims . These ‘ constructions ’ include how questions are formulated ; intonation ; and what consequence this has on the victim and the case . I transcribed ten interviews , then carried out several analytical ‘ passes ’ of the data to narrow down my research question . I then identified extracts from each interview to carry out deeper-level ‘ Jefferson ’ transcription . I discovered two perpetrator constructions . The first is ‘ perpetrator misunderstands non-consent ’. The second , ‘ perpetrator without agency ’, involves the interviewer using formulations with no agent , i . e . “ the penis went in ”. Both obscure mens rea – the ‘ guilty mind ’. Where these cases go to trial , defence lawyers may use stereotypes present in interviews , while juries may believe them . Jury education is needed to make juror decision making fairer – this could consequently help to effect positive policy change within police and prosecution services .
Postgraduate Conference 2021 Page 25