
Victim-centered investigations often rely on the notion of "trauma-informed," which posits that victims of life-threatening events often experience memory lapses, which explains their inconsistent accounts of the event in question.
But a recent article reveals why trauma-informed is simply another ploy to convict the innocent. Attorney Margaret Valois explains:
"Consistent with victim-centered ideology, Title IX investigators are known to include false or misleading information in their reports, in order to enhance the purported trauma suffered by the complainant, thereby making the accused student appear guilty. Here's an example that recently came to my attention:
During an investigation at a large university in the Southeast, the Title IX investigator included fourteen times in her report that the Respondent admitted to pinching the Complainant’s nipple. Upon review of the entire audio recording of the initial interview, it was revealed that the Respondent never once said the word, “nipple.” The investigator was forced to correct her report. The investigator also omitted that the Complainant had kneed the Respondent in the crotch, inflicting serious pain and humiliation." http://ifeminists.com/e107_plugins/content/content.php?content.1450
Trauma-informed concepts may be useful for therapists and counselors, but not for detectives and investigators.
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