Survivors
of intimate partner violence engage in a multitude of help-seeking behaviors;
most commonly they engage in the criminal legal system (CLS). Thus, when this institution betrays the
trust of those dependent on them by being negligent or prosecutory, this is called institutionalbetrayal. We strive to
elucidate and describe the types of institutional betrayal that
victims/survivors of IPV experience when they report their abuse to the
CLS. The analysis is based on in-depth interviews with 11 women impacted by
intimate partner violence who sought help from the CLS. Four themes emerged: 1)
indifference by criminal legal system actors; 2)
being criminalized by criminal legal system actors; 3) The
benefits of “insider status”; 4) Having to be “in the system” to use the system. It is crucial that we
recognize the inconsistencies and mistreatment within our current criminal
legal system in order to better protect and support victims and survivors of
IPV equally and effectively.
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