Can Conventional Criminal Justice Systems Deliver Justice for Rape Victim-Survivors?

The criminal justice response to sexual violence in England and Wales has been subject to criticism for decades and continues to face scrutiny today. One key criticism is that victim-survivors do not receive justice after reporting their experiences to the police and engaging with the trial process. In this presentation, Lara will share findings from her PhD research undertaken in the U.K. that explored the experiences of victim-survivors who engaged with the criminal justice process in England and Wales. She will consider whether the criminal justice system can deliver justice to rape victim-survivors, or whether we must look beyond conventional adversarial systems to ensure justice is had.

Presenter Bio:

Dr Lara Flynn Hudspith is a gender-based violence researcher whose research interests center around the justice needs of victim-survivors of sexual violence. Lara was awarded a PhD in Psychology from the University of Huddersfield (U.K.) in 2022. She explored the criminal justice response to sexual offences via the conduction of interviews with rape victim-survivors and criminal justice system stakeholders. She then expanded upon this research while working as a research associate on a project concerning the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on victim-survivors’ justice journeys. She is currently working as a Research Assistant within the Capacity Research Unit at UBC on the “Scaling Up” project which explores the process and impact of implementing an outreach program with women affected by gender-based violence.

Click here to view the presentation poster.