The Neurobiology of Sexual Assault and What It Means for First Responders

Rebecca Campbell, Professor of Psychology and Program Evaluation, Michigan State University, has extensively studied the neurobiology of trauma and the criminal justice system response to sexual assault. She has found that emotional and physical manifestations of trauma can be misinterpreted, resulting in “secondary victimization” whereby treatment by law enforcement is experienced by victims as blaming and insensitive. Her goal is to educate first responders so that understand victims’ behavior (the neurobiology of trauma) and to change how the system responds to victims.

Hear her full presentation online.