The Impacts of COVID-19 on Criminal Legal Proceedings and Victim Advocacy for Sexual Assault Survivors

ABSTRACT

This study examines how sexual assault criminal legal proceedings and victim advocacy services for survivors have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We interviewed 12 victim advocates at a sexual assault service organization in a large Midwestern city that was particularly impacted by the pandemic. Results indicate that there have been major disruptions to sexual assault case timelines and communication with victims. Victim advocacy for survivors has also been affected, especially the provision of court advocacy and accompaniment. We discuss implications of these findings for sexual assault survivors, service providers, and future emergency preparedness planning for the criminal legal system.

KEYWORDS:

• COVID-19
• sexual assault
• criminal justice
• victim notification
• victim advocacy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Throughout this paper, we use the term “criminal legal system” to refer to what is commonly called the “criminal justice system.” Scholars and activists have noted that “criminal justice” is a misnomer because this system does not deliver justice, but instead reinforces the oppression of marginalized communities (Bryant, 2021; Kaba, 2021).

2. The term “sexual assault” refers to any form of non-consensual sexual contact that falls under criminal statutes, including both rape (i.e., unwanted sexual contact involving penetration of the victim’s mouth or genitals) and sexual assault (i.e., unwanted sexual contact that does not involve penetration).

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women (2018-SI-AX-0001). The opinions or points of view expressed in this document are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the official positions of any participating organization or the U.S. Department of Justice. The authors assure that no financial interest or benefit has arisen from the direct applications of this research.