Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice

Advisor

Vanaja Nethi

Committee Member

Grace Telesco

Committee Member

Larry Massey

Committee Member

Marcelo Castro

Keywords

criminal justice professionals, investigative dynamics, interpretative phenomenological analysis, multidisciplinary collaboration, multidisciplinary teams, phenomenological study, prosecutorial dynamics, rape, SART, sexual assault, sexual assault investigations, sexual assault response teams, sexual assault task force, special victim unit, systemic barriers, thematic analysis, trauma-informed practice, victim advocates, victim advocacy, victim experience

Abstract

This applied dissertation was designed to provide further insight into sexual assault investigations and response from the lived experiences of Sexual Assault Response Team and Task Force criminal justice professionals. There has been limited research on Sexual Assault Response Teams (SARTs), Multidisciplinary Teams (MDTs), and Sexual Assault Task Force (SATF) units, specifically encompassing the lived experiences of their members. This interpretative phenomenological study sought to explore these collaborative multidisciplinary teams from the lived experiences of the criminal justice professionals who represent them and to analyze the factors of sexual assault investigations and response that these members find significant.

In this study, eight participants were interviewed virtually via Zoom. This study included sexual assault detectives, prosecutors, and victim advocates who were all members of a SART within their jurisdictions. Six participants were also members of specialized units, such as a Special Victim Unit (SVU).

This Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) provided further insight into how SART or SVU members experience sexual assault investigations and various factors that they find significant. The analysis revealed eight Group Experiential Themes (GETs): (a) SART Models and Their Role in Sexual Assault Investigations, (b) Multidisciplinary Collaboration in SARTs, (c) Victim Advocacy Dynamics, (d) Investigative Dynamics, (e) Prosecutorial Dynamics, (f) Systemic Barriers in Sexual Assault Investigations, (g) The Victim Experience, and (h) Trauma-Informed Practice and Training.

The results of this study may be useful to jurisdictions wanting to improve their response to sexual assault and investigations by highlighting their trauma-informed, multidisciplinary approach and the benefits they offer to various criminal justice professionals. These findings may also support jurisdictions in enacting or strengthening existing SARTs and SVUs within their communities by improving protocols and practices. Lastly, this research can expand upon the systems-level understanding of SARTs through the Generalized Hybrid SART Systems Model.

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