Fuerzas policiales y mitos sobre las agresiones sexualesuna revisión sistemática de la evidencia

Abstract

The present systematic review aims to identify the existent research and its findings concerning myths and prejudices in relation to sexual assaults (rape myths) held by police officers, given their fundamental role as first contact to the victim within the justice system. Through a qualitative systematic review, the specialized articles published on the Web of Science and Scope databases were identified, analyzed and systematized, as well as their evidence. From the 140 studies initially reviewed, only 25 investigations were selected for the final sample. Among the findings, it stands out that the main evidence corresponds to Anglo-Saxon countries, and that there is a gap empirical evidence in Spanish-speaking countries. It was also revealled that myths about sexual assault affect both general population and police forces at similar levels, which is a challenging issue considering their central role in the prosecution of sexual violence crimes against women, as well as the impact they have on secondary victimization. The study concludes pointing to the general need for effective training in order to eradicate these prejudices from the police subculture, and to the role that legal and forensic psychologists will play in this task.