Building a trauma-informed forensic interview program for adult sexual assault survivors
A space where trained professionals talk to survivors can aid in police investigations and reduce trauma.
Nearly every minute, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted, yet more than half of survivors never report the crime.
Experts say reducing barriers to reporting can start by rethinking one of the most critical steps in an investigation: the interview.
According to RAINN, two in three sexual assaults go unreported, often due to fear of retaliation or distrust of the investigation processes. Laurie Charles, a clinical assistant professor at the Texas A&M Health Center of Excellence in Forensic Nursing and Texas A&M College of Nursing, said there are three main reporting options, with the most common choice being to report to law enforcement. Unfortunately, many police stations don’t have designated rooms for interviewing survivors and may use interrogation rooms, which could cause more stress or trauma.
“Oftentimes, when people are sexually assaulted, it’s somebody that they know very well or someone they love, or they may have a fear of not being believed because there routinely is not a witness, which adds another level of stress or anxiety for them,” Charles said. “We need to build relationships with community partners and find ways to support people who report sexual assault.”
Charles and her team are developing a research-based program to support sexual assault survivors by creating designated, calming spaces for conducting interviews by trained forensic interviewers. Those involved in the case, including law enforcement investigators or prosecutors, can watch the interview from a separate room and can use the information obtained from the interview to inform their investigations.
“A trained interviewer can work with the reporting person in a trauma-informed way, making sure they are asking questions that are open-ended using specific language choices that don’t cause further harm,” Charles said. “It is a safe place, and when we say safe, we mean physically and emotionally, with minimal stress for the person undergoing that forensic interview while also informing law enforcement investigations.”
This process is adapted from an approach widely used in child advocacy settings. In that model, trained interviewers conduct conversations with children in specialized rooms while law enforcement and investigators observe remotely. The pediatric forensic interview process is both scientifically tested and experiential, with a proven ability to support Child Protective Services and law enforcement investigations. By adapting that approach for adults, the program aims to reduce trauma while providing law enforcement with an effective starting point for cases.
Survivors are free to leave at any point during the interview and have access to other trained organizations in the community that can provide support.
“Every step of the process includes a person-first response, which means that when a person reports a potential crime, the most important thing is that they are a person first,” Charles said. “They get to make choices about their body and what happens next. Autonomy is supported and empowered through the process. In the interview, we make sure we’re not causing additional trauma by the questions that we ask or by being in a person’s space without their consent.”
The Center of Excellence in Forensic Nursing, which operates out of the Texas A&M College of Nursing, launched its own forensic interview pilot program to kick off Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month and now has designated spaces for anyone going through the process of reporting sexual assault. Charles said the Texas A&M team is also interested in introducing the program and interview process to other communities.
“Ultimately, this program was created to lessen that stress for the person who is reporting and to be an additional tool for law enforcement to investigate crimes,” she said. “I fully believe this is going to work phenomenally well for people who experience sexual assault; law enforcement will get the information they need for their investigation, and district attorneys will have information that can potentially move criminal cases forward.”
