Police Reporting After Sexual Assault: Victim and Assault Characteristics That Predict Reporting Among Victims Who Seek Medical Forensic Care

Many sexual assault victims choose not to report their assault to police, and identifying characteristics that predict non-reporting can highlight areas for improvement in the criminal legal system’s response to sexual assault. In the current study, we analyzed 655 medical forensic records collected at a hospital-based forensic nursing program to determine what victim and assault characteristics predict victims’ reporting decisions after sexual assault. Using logistic regression, we determined that increased victim age ( OR  = 1.02, p  = .02), receiving the medical forensic exam within 24 hr of the assault ( OR  = 2.51, p  < .001), anogenital injury ( OR  = 1.60, p  = .008), and physical non-anogenital injury ( OR  = 1.47, p  = .04) predicted increased odds of police reporting. While intermittent memory loss did not significantly relate to reporting, complete memory loss predicted a significantly lower likelihood of reporting the assault ( OR  = 0.45, p  < .001). There was no significant difference in reporting between White victims and Black or African American victims, but victims who were Hispanic or Latine ( OR  = 1.76, p  = .02) or whose race and ethnicity was reflected in a category inclusive of Asian or Pacific Islander, Arab or Middle Eastern, Bi- or Multiracial, and other identities ( OR  = 2.01, p  = .02) were significantly more likely to report than White victims. Physical force, presence of a weapon, and the presence of multiple perpetrators did not relate to police reporting. Findings suggest that victims may make reporting decisions, in part, based on perceptions of evidentiary strength. Law enforcement agencies committed to investigating all reported assaults should explore ways to communicate to victims that evidence can be an outcome of a police investigation and is not a prerequisite to reporting sexual assault.