Criminal Law
Methodological Approach
The proposed research is intended to determine the effective approach by police officers regardless of gender in addressing complaints of rape victimization. It is apparent that rape victims are hesitant in reporting the incident due to fear of being misunderstood by the authorities. Hence, the rape victims particularly women are more comfortable reporting their experience to the police officer of the same gender. However, it should not be the case because law enforcers regardless of gender should be able to handle rape complaints effectively through proper communication protocol in order to create a pro-active response for immediate arrest of the perpetrators. One of the problems identified in the process of incident reporting is the officer interviewing the victim lacks the necessary skill and qualification to interact with the victims in a positive manner.
In order to address the identified problem, the research proposal will lean towards the use of qualitative method where non-experimental approach will be employed. There is a difference in applying the concept of non-experimental versus the experimental approach. In experimental design, cause and effect is the focal point of the approach where a predictor variable can be manipulated in order to determine the effect on the dependent variable. On the other hand, the non-experimental approach cannot control the predictor variable, but instead rely on observations and interpretation of interaction between the variables in order to come to conclusion. Furthermore, the experimental approach is more appropriately conducted in a laboratory, which encompasses a high level of reliability and control. Meanwhile, the non-experimental approach tends to rely on correlations, case studies, and surveys encompassing a high level of external validity (Kowalczyk, 2015). Given the nature of the issue in the research, it is apparent that the study necessitates the use of non-experimental approach.
One of the reasons that justify the use of non-experimental method is that the predictor variable cannot be controlled. The objective of the study is to determine the best approach in interviewing, communicating, and interacting with rape victims according to the interrogation protocols. Furthermore, the described issue also implies the role of the law-enforcer’s gender in encouraging the victims to disclose their experiences. For example, a female rape victim would hesitate to come forth to file a complaint to a male police officer because the psychological impact of the experience insinuates fear towards men on the part of the female rape victim. In addition, there is a perceived difference on how the issue of rape is being handled between the male and female police officer on the basis that female-to-female interaction is more emotionally connected when it comes to sensitive issues such as rape (Lockwood and Prohaska, 2015). This creates a gap between the male and female police officers when it comes to addressing the issue of rape complaints as observed on how they interact with the victim.
As described herewith, the issue of effectively approaching rape victimization concerns two factors, one is the gender of the police officers, which creates the difference in terms of interacting with the rape victim on the basis of emotional connection. This factor leads to the second factor, which are the best practices among police officers in addressing rape complaints on the basis of communicating and interacting with the victim during the interview. Furthermore, it gives rise to the issue of police competencies in handling psychologically sensitive issues such as rape. These identified factors encompass a certain characteristic for measurement that accords with the context of non-experimental study. The predictor variable based on the given issue is police officer’s gender and interviewing protocols, which can be considered as not controllable. In this regard, the non-experimental study can be undertaken with the use of qualitative approach such as case study, literature review, survey, and interview.
References
Kowalczyk, D. (2015). Non-Experimental and Experimental Research: Differences, Advantages & Disadvantages - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com. Study.com. Retrieved 15 June 2016, from http://study.com/academy/lesson/non-experimental-and-experimental-research-differences-advantages-disadvantages.html
Lockwood, D. & Prohaska, A. (2016). Police Officer Gender and Attitudes toward Intimate Partner Violence: How policy can eliminate stereotypes. International Journal Of Criminal Justice Sciences, 10(1), 77-90. Retrieved from http://www.sascv.org/ijcjs/pdfs/lockwoodprohaskaijcjs2015vol10issue1.pdf
