NCJ Number
191910
Journal
British Journal of Criminology Volume: 41 Issue: 4 Dated: Autumn 2001 Pages: 679-706
Date Published
2001
Length
28 pages
Annotation
This paper compares the findings of a British and New Zealand study regarding how women rape complainants have been treated by the police and the criminal justice system.
Abstract
During the 1970's and 1980's, in both Britain and New Zealand, mounting criticism targeted the way in which women rape complainants were treated by the police and the criminal justice system. In response to these criticisms, legal and procedural changes were introduced in both countries in the mid-1980's, aimed at improving women's experience of the rape reporting process. As in England, however, little research was conducted in New Zealand following these changes to assess their impact on women's experiences of the police reporting process. In a recent "British Journal of Criminology" article (1997), Jennifer Temkin presented research findings based on a study of women in Sussex, England, who reported rape in the 1990's. By way of comparison, this article presents the results of similar research conducted within the New Zealand context. Both studies, although conducted "worlds apart," produced similar results and generated strikingly similar conclusions. This article presents a summary of the findings from the New Zealand research and explores possible explanations for the apparent lack of major improvement in women's experiences of the rape reporting process in both countries. The article concludes that although the police and rape victims remain seemingly "worlds apart" in their perspectives and needs, little in the way of substantive improvements appears possible. 1 table and 46 references