Policing the US sexual violence justice gap: a critical review

Purpose The justice gap describes a phenomenon in which most sexual assaults reported to police do not result in arrest, prosecution or conviction. The purpose of this study is to identify and synthesize theoretical frameworks analyzing sexual assault attrition in the United States and propose additional organizational behavior frameworks to extend current research. Design/methodology/approach This critical review incorporates US literature on sexual assault case attrition where theoretical frameworks are present, with the goal of identifying significant research and key concepts. Findings Dominant theoretical frameworks are identified and grouped into (1) application of law frameworks: legal formalism (legal factors predict the application of law), seriousness of crime (seriousness of the crime as a predictor) and conflict theories (extralegal factors like social status, racism and/or sexism as predictors) and (2) blended or process-based frameworks: social dominance theory (individual and institutional behaviors are driven by legitimizing myths) and focal concerns theory (competing interests operate under resource and time constraints). Bottom-up organizational frameworks such as street-level bureaucracy are presented as an avenue for future research, suggesting a chronic atmosphere of scarcity and bureaucratic stressors influence improper police decision-making, resulting in high rates of attrition. Originality/value Reviews of sexual assault attrition typically focus on statistical outcomes (clearance, prosecution and conviction rates); yet disparate theoretical frameworks have rarely been synthesized. Incorporating organizational and institutional frameworks suggests avenues for future research and intervention targeting root causes of attrition.