NCJ Number
111719
Journal
American Journal of Orthopsychiatry Volume: 58 Issue: 2 Dated: (April 1988) Pages: 179-187
Date Published
1988
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study of 67 rapes committed by 63 California adolescents indicates some of the behavior patterns of adolescent rapists, including drug use, impulsivity, and the lack of victim provocation in the assault.
Abstract
Data were obtained from June 1973 through March 1977 as part of an ongoing study of adolescent assaultive behavior and drug use. The subjects were interviewed. Among this sample, the typical rape occurred on a weekend night, toward the end of the summer, in the victim's home or in a vehicle. The rapist was usually engaged in another activity when the victim was encountered, often some other crime. There may have been multiple assailants. The typical rapist is a young male from an urban, lower socioeconomic background who has a record of prior arrests and often carries a weapon. The victim was typically a young female stranger. Most rapists are the same race as their victim, but interracial rape often occurred, and the victim was usually white. Most rapists were intoxicated during the rape or had used alcohol or marijuana on the day of the rape. The rapes were typically unplanned and opportunistic assaults and did not involve provocation by the victims, by the subjects' own admissions. The findings are compared with those of similar studies. 3 figures, 2 tables, and 32 references.