Full Description
Rape remains one of the most controversial issues within criminal justice and receives high profile coverage internationally. Despite the many changes there have been to the law, practice and procedure in the investigation of rape allegations, and support available for victims, victims are routinely blamed for their victimization. Only a very small number of perpetrators ever face prosecution, let alone conviction.
This book aims to take stock of current thinking and research about rape and the way it is handled in practice within the criminal justice system, and to challenge some of the widely held but inaccurate beliefs about rape. It brings together leading researchers in the field from psychology, sociology and law, considering new research and presenting new data from a strong theoretical and contextual base.
The main focus of the book is on adult victims of rape, with chapters exploring such issues as rape and the media, the use of alcohol and drugs in rape, police decision making on rape cases, conviction patterns in rape trials, and interviewing victims of rape and sexual assault.
Contents
Foreword 1. Setting the scene; Introduction to understanding rapeSection 1: Processes and representations 2. Rape myth acceptance: affective, behavioural, and cognitive effects of beliefs that blame the victim and exonerate the perpetrator 3. Anger, disgust and sexual crimes 4. Rape in the media 5. Sexual scripts, sexual refusals and 'date rape' Section 2: Victim vulnerabilities 6. Alcohol and drugs in rape and sexual assault 7. Narratives of survival: South Asian Women's experience of rape 8. Invaded spaces and feeling dirty: Women's narratives of violation in prostitution and sexual violence 9. 'Real' rape and 'real' rape allegations: What are the vulnerabilities of the women who report to the police?Section 3: the Criminal Justice System 10. Seeking proof or truth? Naturalistic decision making by police officers when considering rape allegations 11. Police interviews of rape victims: Tensions and contradictions12. A vicious cycle? Attrition and conviction patterns in contemporary rape trials in England and Wales 13. Addressing the attitude problem in rape trials: Some proposals and methodological considerations Concluding Remarks 14. Is it real rape and do you believe her?
