Sexual assault investigations and the factors that contribute to a suspect's arrest
Policing: An International Journal
ISSN: 1363-951X
Article publication date: 9 July 2021
Issue publication date: 31 August 2021
Abstract
Purpose
Sexual assault investigations present uniquely challenging circumstances to detectives, and a small proportion result in arrest. Improving sexual assault investigations requires expanding the evidence base to improve our understanding of how these investigations unfold and the factors associated with positive case outcomes, including the likelihood that an offender is arrested.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors abstracted data on 491 adult sexual assaults investigated by five large and midsized law enforcement agencies to describe the characteristics of sexual assault investigations and to explain the relationships between these characteristics and the likelihood that a suspect is arrested.
Findings
Overall, detectives move swiftly to investigate sexual assaults but tend to miss investigative opportunities that increase the likelihood of an arrest, like locating and processing the crime scene or pursuing interviews with key witnesses and leads. Sexual assaults typically lack physical evidence that can be used to identify and lead to an arrest of a suspected offender; when this evidence is present, the case is more likely to result in an arrest. Delayed reporting of the crime to law enforcement decreases the likelihood of a suspect being arrested, but the mechanisms are unclear.
Originality/value
Few studies have used a detailed data abstraction process for a large sample of cases from multiple law enforcement agencies to understand sexual assault investigations and their case outcomes. The results can improve practitioners' and researchers' understanding of sexual assault investigations, including those factors that increase the likelihood of a suspect's arrest.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This project was supported by Award Nos. 2015-AK-BX-K021 and 2019-MU-BX-K011 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Department of Justice. The opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice.
Citation
Markey, J., Scott, T., Daye, C. and Strom, K.J. (2021), "Sexual assault investigations and the factors that contribute to a suspect's arrest", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 44 No. 4, pp. 591-611. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-03-2021-0051
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited