Sexual violence poses significant societal challenges, affecting millions of women in the United States and resulting in long-term negative health effects for survivors. Black women are assaulted at higher rates and receive less assistance post-assault, so they bear a disproportionate burden. When Black women seek help from formal support systems (i.e., medical, criminal legal system), they often encounter victim blaming attitudes and are treated poorly by system personnel. For instance, when survivors report their assaults to law enforcement and undergo medical forensic exams, police often do not investigate their assaults and do not submit their sexual assault evidence kits (SAKs) for DNA testing, which exacerbates victims’ trauma. These failures have created a substantial “rape kit backlogs.” These backlogs represented a significant betrayal by the criminal legal system that compounds survivors' distress and creates a complex process of healing that goes beyond the assault. For Black women, this betrayal is deeply rooted in a historical legacy of gendered racism, perpetuating the marginalization of Black women's needs for support and justice.Drawing on Black feminist and intersectional frameworks, this qualitative dissertation explored the healing journeys of Black women affected by Detroit's rape kit backlog and their interactions with the criminal legal system. This study examined two focal research questions: 1) How do Black women describe their healing journeys and their current state of healing after their backlogged sexual assault case had been prosecuted? and 2) How did Black women's experiences of institutional betrayal by the criminal legal system--in both their initial experiences with the legal system and in their re-engagement experiences--impact their healing journeys and their current state of healing? Data from 29 transcribed interviews from Black women who re-engaged with the criminal legal system were analyzed using Ideal-Type Analysis (ITA), a qualitative cluster analysis approach. Analysis revealed four healing groups, which varied based on the coping strategies used by survivors and whether they felt their healing journey was in progress or completed. In addition, those who experienced prolonged institutional betrayal from the criminal legal system were less likely to seek other help resources, which delayed their healing process. These findings offer crucial insights into the nuanced processes through which Black women navigate healing amid institutional betrayal. Furthermore, these results offer guidance for research and practice aimed at better supporting the healing journeys of Black women affected by sexual violence and institutional betrayal.
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