| It is currently unclear how women who have been sexually assaulted, and participate in prosecution against their offender(s), experience the criminal justice system. Research has not examined how women experience the justice system in its entirety. In an effort to explore this question, qualitative analysis was conducted on transcribed interviews with 12 adult female victims of sexual assault who participated in the prosecution of their offender(s). A therapeutic jurisprudence lens was utilized. Analysis indicated that the justice system was an antitherapeutic force for the women. They reported perceptions of disempowerment and objectification, decreased faith in the justice system, disconnection from legal representatives and their primary support people, and utilization of ineffective coping skills. Participation with the criminal court system, did not aid in the women's sexual assault recovery efforts. Additionally, victim's personal histories, sexual assault characteristics, and sexual assault sequelae appeared to "interact" with the criminal court proceedings and contribute to their experience of the criminal court system. |
