The Word of a Woman?: Police, Rape and Belief - Paperback

by J. Jordan (Author)

The notion that women lie about rape is a prevalent belief with pervasive influence. This book is unique in combining police file data with interviews obtained from both rape survivors and detectives in order to critically explore how this belief affects police officers' responses to women who report rape. Examination of this material is located within a broader analysis of the historical and socio-cultural environment, and illustrates how rape investigations continue to be conducted within the context of pervasive beliefs and stereotypes regarding both the nature of rape and the nature of women.

Author Biography

JAN JORDAN is Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Criminology in Wellington, New Zealand. She teaches both undergraduate and postgraduate courses addressing gender and crime issues, and is a regular contributor to police training courses. Her research on rape has been published in international academic journals, and her first book, Working Girls: Women in the New Zealand Sex Industry, won national recognition and awards.