RevealNews

Another great question. First and foremost - victims should know that they have the right to attorney and an advocate in the room with them. Many times the victim was alone with law enforcement, with no indication that they were becoming a suspect.
“Credibility” is subjective, but as we learned from Ret. Detective Carl Hershman, if a young person has been drinking, they might debunk them as credible (although - law enforcement should keep in mind that if a person is incapacitated they can not consent, and not weaponize a victims’ drinking against them).
Another lack of “credibility” in the bias against victims can be “inconsistencies” or perceived inconsistencies in a victim’s memory or story. This is completely normal, especially when trauma is involved.
Dr. Avalos in the film also points out that often the targets are vulnerable, young - not strong, savvier older people.

(Nancy) Yes - that is one of the very troubling take aways of VICTIM/SUSPECT. Our hope is to put these tactics and police departments out in public — for relying on rape myths, and not properly investigating these violent crimes.
Our first step is to shed light on the problem. And yes - as a filmmaker, I have been questioning what systems can work for victims. As our current one is so broken. I take hope in restorative and transformational justice, but we have not caught up to that as a larger society.
Know your rights - whatever you choose.

(Rae) Great question. If you are arrested, all you say is “I want an attorney” and police have to stop questioning you and provide you with an attorney. If you are not under arrest, then it is up to you to find an attorney. However, if you’re a victim, some departments must provide you with an advocate. They cannot and should not provide legal advice, but they are there to support you emotionally.

You might find the Know Your Rights Camp helpful: https://kaepernick7.com/pages/know-your-rights-camp#:\~:text=Know%20Your%20Rights%20Camp%20is,KNOW%20YOUR%20RIGHTS%20CAMP%20HERE!

(Nancy) Right? That’s exactly how we feel! We are also making sure and doing our best to get this to every police station willing to take a hard look at themselves and their own bias. Follow our impact campaign - here. We intend to bring this to the DOJ, and other venues who can help promote this issue and advocate for safer reporting structures.

(Rae) Thank you for asking this. I had to remind myself that it’s a service to them to remain open-minded and fair throughout my investigation. If I appeared that I was a friend doing them a favor, police and others could question my reporting as biased or accuse me of being hired by the survivor’s family.
What helped me was to be transparent with these women, first and foremost, share with them exactly why I am asking the question and what information I am hoping to get. I found that to be really helpful for everyone involved!