Participation in the criminal–legal system by victims and witnesses of severe community violence

Abstract

Purpose
The participation of victims and witnesses of severe community violence in the criminal–legal system (CLS) is critical for the success of police investigations and prosecutions. However, such participation is far from guaranteed. This systematic literature review synthesizes existing research to identify the factors that consistently influence victims' and witnesses' engagement with the CLS across three key stages: reporting crimes to law enforcement, participating in police investigations and participating in court proceedings.

Methods
The review follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. We systematically searched 10 databases to identify empirical studies published in English since 1990 that focus on CLS participation in the United States by victims or witnesses of severe community violence.

Results
A total of 52 studies met the inclusion criteria. These studies largely consisted of quantitative analyses of incident characteristics associated with crime reporting and qualitative inquiries exploring barriers to CLS participation, particularly among disadvantaged groups. Key findings highlight common predictors of CLS participation (e.g., victim demographics and crime severity) and self-reported explanations for lack of engagement with the CLS (e.g., negative perceptions of the police, perceived inability to claim victim status, adherence to anti-snitching norms).

Conclusion
This review identifies significant gaps in the literature, mainly an inconsistent focus on certain populations and a lack of research examining participation in the police investigation and court proceeding stages of the CLS. We discuss potential recommendations to enhance victim and witness participation in the CLS and outline future research priorities.