Discussion List for campus-based and allied personnel working to end gender-based violence on campus.

["Don Lazzarini" <>]

Just ordered and read a new book, called Cry Rape, concerning Madison
Wisconsin woman named Patty who went through a multi-year ordeal after a
police detective viewed her as deceptive during a series of
interrogations he used to conduct what is described as a "rape
investigation". The author did an amazing job of chronically the events
as well as bringing a spotlight on the "investigative process and
techniques" used by what is described as one of the most progressive
police departments in the nation. The story is one of unbelievable
courage and perseverance against a system that believes and supports
itself while bringing unimaginable resources and cruelty against a woman
who dared to question a police departments competency. It is timely and
relevant to a national discussion. 

In a process we have repeatedly observed over the years, officers and
detectives, utilize the training they receive in interview and
interrogations schools like Reid, and incorrectly apply them to victims
of trauma. The thought that agencies might be doing this may be hard to
swallow, but Cry Rape paints a very clear picture of the process. The
literature on victim trauma and the psychology of therapeutic contacts
with victims clearly paint a picture where "Suggestibility" at the hands
of a trusted therapist must be carefully guarded against. If one looks
at the criteria concerning suggestibility, we find a one to one
correlation, between the power of the trusted therapist and the similar
trust placed in the hands of the investigating detective. Instead of
allowing and assisting these victims to gently build and share the
verbal picture of what occurred to them, many investigators very early
in the process, begin to offer suggestions and possibilities, which the
victim is very likely to incorporate into their process of explaining
what happened. I think law enforcement has been cautioned about this
behavior with children as a result of McMartin and other national
fiascos, but it appears many continue to utilize such tactics in working
with adult women victims. Who among us would not reach out gladly for a
hand offered to pull us out of the water we are sinking into, water in
which we may drown. 

Officers must learn to appreciated how so many shattered assumptions, in
conjunction with the trauma, create a surreal mental confusion that can
result in a delayed process of making sense out of victim's world, much
less out of what happened, even in a semi-chronological manner. If they
understood how their power and role of expert/savior can turn what they
view as a simple suggestion, into a indisputable truth, they would speak
little and listen much. The opposite is much more likely, and will be
introduced to the victim in statements like "is it possible you weren't
clear when you told him no. Is it possible you didn't scream out loud,
but only in your head? Is it possible you just imagined this? These
suggestions, coming from the trusted expert source of safety and
protection, become so much more than suggestions. They can easily become
the explanation for everything. The one thing that makes sense out of
all the confusion. The problem is it was not said for that reason, and
it may even have been said expecting a rejection by the investigator.
This is powerful stuff were playing with when everyone thinks they have
done a great job.  

Much of the training that law enforcement receives is valuable for
interrogating suspects, but when these same tactics are used on victims
of trauma, we have very predicable outcomes which include
inconsistencies and even recanting. These issues would only be known to
those who sit in and observe interviews conducted by law enforcement,
observers who have suspect interrogation training. An advocate who isn't
aware a victim interview has subtlely shifted in and out of
interrogation, with a series of suggestive possibilities thrown in,
would fail to bring concerns and training to the errant officer. This is
truly an issue of national concern, where the experience of mental
health professionals needs to be brought to the training and public
awareness tables. In the mean time, order Cry Rape. It belongs in
everyone's library and most crime and justice studies programs. 


Don Lazzarini M. Ed
Coordinator VAWOC Project
Resource Specialist
208-885-2956