Given the limits of the criminal justice system, how can the needs of victims in rape and sexual assault cases be met?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

The current rape crisis movement developed in response to the perceived need for prevention, community awareness, and amelioration of victims’ pain. However, even the best community services are limited and lack adequate resources to effectively combat all needs for victims of sexual assault. While attempts to help survivors of sexual assault involve friends, family members, community agencies, and criminal justice personnel, efforts in help seeking may actually enhance the trauma that victims experience due to lack of support, judgment, and blame by support networks. Additionally, victims may experience further trauma by being forced to relive their trauma as part of the official processing of the assault as a crime. Due to these negative experiences in disclosure, many victims choose to keep their assault a secret. Ultimately, cases of rape and sexual assault can be very difficult to prove in a court of law. Convictions are rare, and many cases are plea bargained to a lesser charge, many of which carry little to no jail time. Unfortunately, the acceptance of rape myths by police, prosecutors, judges, and juries limits the punishment of offenders in cases of sexual assault.