So Few Convictions

Abstract

This study examines the role of client-related characteristics in the legal processing of sexual assaults. Data were collected from the hospital and legal records of 187 women who presented to a sexual assault treatment center and the police of a large Canadian city in 1994. The data analyses revealed that cases involving older women and women who did not physically resist the assailant were less likely to have resulted in a charge. However, women who were known to the assailant for more than 24 hours (including current or previous partners) were more likely to see their cases forwarded for prosecution.