Victim/Suspect Archives

An illustration shows a police officer crossing off the word victim and writing suspect as an anxious woman looks on from across an interrogation table.

Victim/Suspect

From Victim to Suspect

by Rachel de Leon, Katharine Mieszkowski, Cynthia Rodriguez, Kate Howard, Nikki Frick, Jim Briggs, Fernando Arruda, Steven Rascón, Zulema Cobb, Taki Telonidis, Brett Myers and Al Letson October 14, 2023October 10, 2023

A young mom with a daughter to support puts up with her boss’s crude behavior, until one night she says he goes too far. She goes to the police – but that doesn’t solve her problem. It creates a new one.

Illustration of oversized men in law enforcement uniforms peering down at a small woman, who is talking.

Victim/Suspect

‘If the Police Don’t Believe You, They Might Prosecute You’: How Officers Turn Victims of Sexual Assault Into Suspects

by Rachel de Leon September 25, 2023September 25, 2023

Research shows the debilitating effects of sexual trauma on memory and behavior. But when investigating reports of sex crimes, police sometimes twist trauma responses into evidence of false reporting.

Victim/Suspect

CIR’s ‘Victim/Suspect’ Now Streaming on Netflix

by Reveal staff May 23, 2023August 16, 2023

The documentary uncovers a nationwide pattern of young women reporting sexual assaults to police, only to be charged with making a false report, arrested and imprisoned.

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