This paper reports on a research study to determine how students view victim services and victimization prevention efforts; it advises on how to improve disclosure processes; and discusses university prevention efforts and responses to victimization.
Understanding barriers to victimization disclosure and how students view prevention can inform strategies to improve victim services and safety. The authors conducted eight focus groups with students at an HSI and found that participants: (1) felt the responsibility for prevention is shared among victims, offenders, and institutions; (2) highlighted that institutions are responsible for providing services regardless of whether an incident occurred on campus; (3) held complex views around the legitimacy of campus law enforcement; (4) emphasized transparency and sharing “success stories” to encourage formal reporting; and (5) vocalized concerns about disparate treatment across gender and race/ethnicity and stigma of victimization as a central reason for why victims may not report victimization. Implications for improving disclosure processes, university responses to victimization, and prevention are discussed. (Published Abstract Provided)