Reviews - Credible: Why We Doubt Accusers and Protect Abusers

52 reviews for:

Credible: Why We Doubt Accusers and Protect Abusers

Deborah Tuerkheimer

4.39 AVERAGE

hannahsonia's review

5.0

challenging emotional informative reflective sad tense medium-paced

everyone should read this book

sam's review against another edition

5.0

challenging informative medium-paced

deirmaryhar's review

5.0

Anyone whose work touches the criminal justice system needs to read this book.

readrunrepeat42's review against another edition

5.0

challenging emotional informative sad tense fast-paced

The author breaks down the “credibility complex” and the ways in which our systems and culture discount the credibility of sexual assault accusers and boost the credibility of those accused.

For every accusation an accuser makes, she is forced to get everyone to believe 3 facts: “this happened, it was wrong, it matters.” And our systems are set up to discredit accusers in multiple ways (both explicitly and implicitly) for each of those suppositions. All it takes is one doubt along one of those axes to dismiss an entire accusation and the victim.

Our legal system has formally codified the “benefit of the doubt” for accused men in many ways that need to be changed before we can begin to see justice on a larger scale. And ultimately, our justice system relies on biased people who exist in a biased culture that needs to be reformed to believe and value victims over their abusers.

Lots of depictions of sexual assault and institutional gaslighting but a wealth of information about the current state of various justice systems and actionable steps that need to be taken. Worthwhile read.