Citation

Konradi A. Violence Against Women 1996; 2(1): 25-62.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1996, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

12348984

Abstract

This paper, which examines how rape survivors prepare themselves for testifying in court, opens with a review of the literature that reveals that this contribution of rape survivors to the prosecution has been largely ignored. Instead, research has focused on the behavior of police and prosecuting attorneys and on how the trial process adversely affects rape survivors while portraying them as helpless, passive, and emotional victims. This study used intensive life history interviews with 32 rape survivors who participated in the prosecution of their assailants. It was found that the survivors prepared to testify by working on their appearance, rehearsing their part, preparing emotionally, building a support team, researching the witness role, and taking steps to enhance their case by supplying evidence and information to the prosecutors. After describing each of these actions in depth, the paper considers how the women's knowledge and beliefs about the criminal justice system, knowledge of dominant cultural conceptions of rape, personal sense of efficacy, and progressive interactions with legal personnel influenced their preparation strategies. The discussion notes that the amount of effort spent in preparation was influenced by clusters of traits. Survivors who prepared the least were those who had previous court experience, were assaulted by strangers, reported their rapes immediately, and had regular contact with prosecutors. Survivors who prepared the most were less confident of obtaining a guilty verdict.

Language: en