“Will you be there for me?” Social support from family and friends during cold case sexual assault prosecutions

If sexual assault survivors report the assault to the criminal legal system, they often need informal support from family and friends throughout the long and frequently retraumatizing process of investigation and prosecution. This study is part of a long-term community-based participatory action research project in a predominately Black/African American U.S. city that is facing extended delays in sexual assault prosecution because the police have not been routinely testing medical forensic evidence when sexual assaults were first reported. When police had this evidence tested years later, cases with DNA matches were re-opened, and survivors were asked to re-engage with the criminal legal system. We conducted qualitative interviews with N = 32 survivors who participated in these "cold case" prosecutions and explored how their family and friends supported them throughout this process. Most survivors (94%) disclosed to friends and family that their cases had been re-opened, and 47% received beneficial emotional and tangible support during prosecution. The other half (53%) encountered indifference or blame from their family members and friends. We discuss how victim advocates can prepare survivors for the reactions they may receive from friends and family, and how community services can buffer loss of support.