The purpose of sexual assault case attrition research is to improve our understanding of the criminal justice response to sexual violence starting from the first report to the police through prosecution and sentencing. In recent years, the National Institute of Justice has funded several projects designed to describe the extent of case attrition at each stage of the criminal justice process and to identify factors most likely to influence attrition. This webinar describes a recent project that examines attrition across six police jurisdictions. Topics covered include a description of the project design, presentation of key findings, and a discussion of the challenges associated with conducting a multi-method, multi-site study of sexual assault case attrition. The study results will also be considered within the larger context of contemporary research on sexual violence.
