Cooperation, Arrest, and Filing Charges: An Examination of Victim, Police, and Prosecutor Decision Making in Adolescent Sexual Assault Cases

Sexual assault case processing has received increased attention from scholars, with promising implications for the criminal justice system. Despite the recent increase in attention, there remains a dearth of literature on adolescent sexual assault case processing. Indeed, few studies have examined adolescent assault case processing, with those limited studies resulting in inconsistent findings. The present thesis addresses this gap in sexual assault case processing literature by utilizing 289 adolescent sexual assault case files from Los Angeles County to assess the decision-making factors that influence adolescent victim cooperation, arrest, and initial charge filing. Theoretical, empirical, policy, and practice implications are discussed.