Start by Believing
Updated September 2020
This resource is from End Violence Against Women International (EVAWI)
“While the campaign has now been adopted by hundreds of communities, across the country and around the world, questions have been raised regarding its appropriateness for criminal justice agencies. Some have questioned whether participation in the campaign might compromise the ability of police and prosecutors to remain objective, potentially opening them up to attacks by defense counsel and/or losing cases at trial.
These are legitimate questions, stemming from our shared concern that sexual assault cases must be investigated and prosecuted based on the evidence. It is therefore critical to emphasize that our goal with this campaign is not to “railroad” suspects, by encouraging preordained conclusions, or investigations conducted only to confirm an initial hypothesis. Confirmation bias is a real phenomenon, where human beings – including criminal justice professionals – tend to seek evidence that confirms pre–existing ideas and avoids or discredits evidence challenging these ideas.
Yet the reality is this: When it comes to sexual assault, confirmation bias has long influenced the response of criminal justice professionals in the opposite direction. This is often described as “implicit bias,” and ample evidence suggests that it affects the investigation and prosecution of crime just as it influences responses by the public.”
Access this resource here (18 page PDF)