NCJ Number
97447
Journal
Crime and Delinquency Volume: 31 Issue: 2 Dated: special issue (April 1985) Pages: complete issue
Editor(s)
J Galvin,
P Ladouceur
Date Published
1985
Length
169 pages
Annotation
This journal contains nine articles that focus on rape and highlight the impact of rape reform.
Abstract
The relationship of rape reform efforts to the rise of feminism is considered, and the increase in the incidence of rape is analyzed. Further, difficulties in determining the incidence of rape are identified and the failure of data sources to agree on the trend in rape levels during the late 1970's is noted. Factors involved in the reporting of rape and the reporting of assaults to the police are compared, and measures of the criminal justice system's response to rape are considered. For example, the issue of rape conviction rates is addressed in the context of several other key case processing points; the processing of sexual assault cases is compared to the processing of nonsexual assault cases. Additionally, the response to rape victims by the criminal justice system and by society are reviewed, and procedures for gathering evidence from the victim are delineated. The emergence of the rape crisis center is discussed; the range of center types, services, staffing, funding, and affiliations is described. The role of substance abuse in sexual assaults is analyzed, and the adoption of a social structural approach to the explanation of rape is considered. Finally, data from a longitudinal study of males are used to examine feminist propositions about sexually aggressive males. Approximately 200 references and 15 figures are included.