criminal

Sexual Assaults Behind Bars Sexual violence among inmates was rediscovered and documented as a serious problem decades ago (see Lockwood, 1980). The rape of weaker inmates by stronger prisoners, once a taboo topic, has been written about and depicted in movies for decades (see MacNamara, 1983). Rapes are periodically pic- tured in movies about prison […]

Sexual Assaults Between Males The forcible rape of a male by a female is presumed to be rare (as distinct from cases of seduction and statutory rape of boys by mature women), and the imagery usually arouses smirks rather than alarm. When women are arrested in sexual assault cases, they usually were acting as the

Sexual Assaults Within the Military Accusations from female soldiers, plus concerns voiced by elected officials, have caused the Penta- gon to investigate domestic violence and sexual misconduct in the military and to issue sweeping policy reforms 18 times over 16 years (see Office of the Inspector General, 2003; Corbett, 2007; Herbert, 2009; Myers, 2009; and

Guidelines for the Proper Handling of Allegations of Sexual Misconduct on Campuses The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights issued procedural guidelines in 2014 that ought to be fol- lowed when handling complaints about sexual misconduct on college campuses. Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, so if the campus judicial

THE REDISCOVERY OF MORE RAPE VICTIMS Because of the renewed attention paid to sexual assault by the antirape movement over the past three decades, the plight of other groups soon was rediscovered: sexual assaults on campuses, in the military, between men, behind bars in jails and pris- ons, and within marriages. Sexual Assaults on Campus

THE REDISCOVERY OF MORE VICTIMS OF RAPES AND SEXUAL ASSAULTS Drug-Facilitated Sexual Assaults During the 1990s, drug researchers and advocates who assisted rape victims began to receive anecdotal reports about drug-facilitated acquaintance rapes. The charge was that certain predatory men were escalating their aggressive tactics and going beyond weakening their prey by plying them with

CRISIS CENTERS: PROVIDING EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE No matter how poorly (or how well) the criminal justice system handles rape cases in the long run, sexual assault victims need immediate aid. Starting in 1972, feminist activists began to provide emergency assistance to women who had just been raped. The first crisis centers, also known as distress or

Rape Victims and Prosecutors To increase the conviction rate, some district attor- neys have established sex crimes prosecution units with specially trained lawyers. Traditionally, prose- cutors whose performance was judged on the basis of their won/lost records preferred offering lenient pleas rather than risking defeat by going to trial. Prosecutors prefer to negotiate an out-of-court

Rape Victims and the Police: Reporting Rates and Solution Rates In order for a crime to be solved and processed by the justice system, it must first be brought to the attention of the police. But during most years, less than half of all rapes are not reported, according to the annual findings from the

The Need for Corroboration In the past, one aspect of the law in most states that made rape charges very difficult to prove beyond a reasonable doubt was the corroboration require- ment, which demanded that the prosecution dis- cover independent evidence to back up the key elements of the complainant’s account. Derived V I C