The Impact of Investigator Perceptions of Victim Legitimacy on the Processing of Rape/Sexual Assault Cases*

This analysis of 610 reports of rape/sexual assault, collected during six months of intensive field research within a metropolitan police department, addresses the issue of differential handling of such reports by police investigators. Their attributions of “relative legitimacy” to cases and victims are analyzed in the light of information items contained in the offense reports completed by patrol officers. Victim credibility, victim consent, offense seriousness, and victim characteristics are among the factors taken into account by the investigators as they assess rape/sexual assault cases and victims for the purpose of making dispositionary decisions. The likelihood of a case being actively pursued is discussed in terms of the tendency of investigators to classify cases along a continuum from “real” rapes to “deals”.