Gender Bias Plaguing Missoula County Attorney Office

SNAP
February 21, 2014

http://www.snapnetwork.org/mt_gender_bias_plaguing_missoula_county_attorney_office

Statement by Barbara Dorris of St. Louis, Outreach Director of SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (314-862-7688 home, 314-503-0003 cell, SNAPdorris@gmail.com)

The Missoula county attorney’s office has failed to prosecute “nearly every case” of non-stranger rapes.

[abajournal.com]

The US Justice Department reported that gender bias and stereotypes are the likely reason prosecutors failed to press charges, even in cases where they had a confession. Women in the county repeatedly told the Justice Department that they were treated with “indifference and disrespect”, they were told “boys will be boys” or had the bible quoted to them.

This level of ignorance and backwards thinking is appalling. The prosecutor’s office might as well have said “the victim was asking for it”. We are disappointed that the Missoula county attorney’s office seems to be stuck in the Middle Ages. We hope the Justice Department letter will knock some sense into Missoula officials and that victims and witnesses will not be discouraged to keep doing the right thing and working for justice.