Understanding Victims of Interpersonal Violence
A Guide for Investigators and Prosecutors

Understanding Victims of Interpersonal Violence: A Guide for Investigators and Prosecutors provides accessible information for criminal justice personnel "in the trenches" with victims of violence to aid in understanding and explaining their behavior.

This guide sheds light on interpersonal violence victims? decisions and actions by providing context and naming factors that commonly impact victim responses. These include internal factors such as culture, religion, shame, and personality, as well as external factors like access to services, support systems, and resources. These factors inhibit or facilitate responses like disclosure, resistance, and participation (or lack thereof) in the prosecution of the offenders. This book also explores the influence of the perpetrator, as well as more deeply examining victim responses that typically offer challenges to investigators and prosecutors; for example, continued contact with the offender, lack of resistance, and issues in disclosure. Finally, the guide provides concrete tools to assist investigators in interviewing and for prosecutors to use during the prosecutorial process.

This book is designed for investigators, prosecutors, advocates, criminal justice practitioners, and students of these subjects.

Introduction; SECTION 1: Victim Response to Interpersonal Violence; 1. Victim Response to Assault – Is It “Counterintuitive” Behavior?; 2. “I Was in Shock” - Internal Factors Influencing Victim Response; 3. “Where Was I Supposed to Go?” – External Factors that Influence Victim Response and Help Seeking; 4. “I Will Not Be Denied” – Influence of the Offender on Victim Behavior; 5. “I Should Have Kicked His Ass!” – Male Victims of Intimate Violence; SECTION 2: Common Types of Victim Responses; 6. “What Was I Supposed to Say?” – Issues in Disclosure of Assault; 7. “But I Love Him” - Continued Contact with the Offender; 8. “Nah, I’m Good” – Understand Victim Resistance; 9. “Commit to Courage” - Conclusions and Suggestions; Appendix A – Questions Instead of “Why?”; Appendix B – Sample Voir Dire Questions; Appendix C – Interviewing Victims for Sentencing

Dr. Valliere is a licensed clinical psychologist with over 25 years experience working with violent offenders and their victims. She is recognized as an expert on victim behavior and has testified nationally and internationally. Dr. Valliere has testified before the U.S. Congress and Judiciary Committee regarding sexual assault in the military, as well as consulted with the Department of Defense and the U.S. Department of Justice. She has trained for the national and international agencies and appeared on major television and radio programs speaking on the topic of sexual assault.