By Keisha French,
London Metropolitan University.
The primary aim of this research was to investigate whether multi-agency support services offer sufficient support to victims of serious sexual violence in England and Wales. To achieve this, this research study conducted a thematic analysis using quantitative secondary data analysis. The research study starts by evaluating three multi-agency support services in England and Wales; that is, Independent Sexual Violence Advisers (ISVAs), Sexual Assault Referral Centres’ (SARCs), and Rape Crisis Centre’s (RCCs). The research study analyses their working framework and its effectiveness.
To investigate whether multi-agency support services offer sufficient support, three themes are analysed, that is: criminal justice outcome, immediate response, and long-term support for sexual violence victims.
From thematic analysis, it was discovered that multi-agency support services play a crucial role in helping victims of sexual violence navigate the criminal justice system. Specifically, it was discovered that sexual offence crimes in England and Wales take the longest to get an outcome, which may increase distress to victims of sexual violence. As such, with the help of support services, victims can understand the legal procedure and follow through with the whole process. In addition, it was concluded that multi-agency services offer sufficient support in addressing the immediate help needed by victims of serious sexual offences. This involves offering forensic examination, medical care, and psychological support. Also, it was concluded that multi-agency services offer sufficient support in the long-term recovery of sexual violence victims by offering group counselling, medical check-ups, follow-ups, and forensic examination, evidence preservation.
The research study concludes by offering policy recommendations that may help improve the delivery of support services, such as increasing funding and having a central case management system to help integrate multi-agency communication and reduce the burden of victims having to go through many steps to acquire multi-agency support services.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16266657
By Bronte Woodhouse,
UWE Bristol (University of the West of England).
This extended literature review explores the impact of trauma-induced biological changes (TIBC) on male violence and aggression. Initially, thematic analysis was used to identify the relevant themes relating to the research inquiry which were then used to form the chapter titles and subheadings. The findings suggest that trauma can change biological mechanisms which can contribute to the externalisation of violence and aggression in men. The implications for this evidence are discussed in relation to the court setting in England and Wales and other western countries. The findings highlight the need for trauma-informed practices to be implemented into the criminal justice system to support the complex needs of offenders, particularly those with PTSD. The findings also emphasise the importance of conducting more research on TIBC before they are recognised in court as mitigating factors, in order to prevent unjust legal outcomes. These findings support previous research linking trauma to violent offending behaviour, emphasising the need for offenders to have access to the appropriate treatment to support their journey towards rehabilitation.
This work received the 2025 JCJD Dissertation Prize.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16098618
By Freya Carr,
Leeds Beckett University.
The nighttime environment can be viewed as a fun social setting to enjoy a drink with friends, but it soon feels dangerous as the threat of spiking looms over women. This gendered environment, where women are repeatedly urged to look after themselves and prevent themselves from being needle spiked or having their drink spiked, has become an unsafe place where women can no longer enjoy themselves without the danger of spiking presenting itself. Expanding on current research on spiking in the night-time economy (NTE), specifically in relation to women – who have been proven to be more likely to fall victim to this crime – this research investigates how women are responsibilised to protect themselves from spiking and how perpetrators hold much less responsibility than potential victims. The Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) of spiking awareness posters, which were collected for this research, looked closely at the presentations, language, and truth modalities of the posters, and how these combined factors responsibilised women as a result. The analysis showed that women are much more likely to be responsibilised in spiking awareness posters than men, with the force of gendered stereotypes coming into play – resultantly expressing the burden which women, as a group, must face in being their own forms of crime prevention to protect themselves, and each other, from spiking attacks. With women often being told how to behave and how to look after themselves in the NTE, these outside factors have detrimental effects on how women perceive their safety and how responsible they are for it. More research is needed, to further fully understand the extent of this issue, however this research will still unpack the issues surrounding women being responsibilised in potential spiking scenarios, and the consequences of this.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16041644