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23 Women & Crim. Just. 1 (2013)

handle is hein.journals/wwcj23 and id is 1 raw text is: Women & CriminalJustice, 23:1-18, 2013 I Routledge Copyright C Taylor & Francis Group, LLC 2 Taylor&FrancisGroup ISSN: 0897-4454 print/1541-0323 online DOI: 10.1080/08974454.2013.743365 Moving On or Dropping Out: Police Processing of Adult Sexual Assault Cases KATHLEEN D. KELLEY Department ofSociology & Criminaljustice, University ofDelaware, Newark, Delaware, USA REBECCA CAMPBELL Department ofPsychology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, USA Past research indicates that extralegalfactors (e.g., victim age, race, and relationship to assailant) affectpolice investigative practices in sexual assault cases, including the decision whether toforward a case to prosecutorsforfurther consideration. However such studies have not distinguished the reasons why cases did or did not move on to prosecutors for criminal charges to be filed. In some instances, law enforcement officials make the decision not to send a casefor- wardforfurther consideration, but sometimes cases are not referred because victims have withdrawn theirparticipation. Understanding whatfactors differentiate these outcomes is importantfor improving the legal response to sexual assault. In this study, 266police reports of adult sexual assault cases were collectedfrom 3 midwestern law enforcement agencies (in the same county). Demographic, assault, and evidentiary case characteristics were examined aspredictors of case referral outcomes. Results indicated that victims who were unconscious because ofalcohol and/or drug use were more likely to withdrawfrom the investigation process, as were those who did not have a post-assault medical forensic exam. Cases in which law enforcement interviewed a suspect and cases in which police invested moderate to above average investigational effort were significantly more likely to be referred to prosecutors. This research was supported by Grant No. 2005-WG-BX-0003 from the National Institute of Justice to Rebecca Campbell. The opinions or points of view expressed in this document are our own and do not reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Justice. Address correspondence to Rebecca Campbell, Department of Psychology, Michigan State University, 127C Psychology Building, 316 Physics Road, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA. E-mail: rmc@msu.edu I