NCJ Number
168188
Date Published
1997
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This paper discusses the legal and clinical issues in rape cases and examines the potential collusive systems that may arise with the victim's family, the society, or with the helping professionals.
Abstract
The discussion of legal issues addresses the definition of rape as a criminal offense and the provisions that pertain to rape in the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act of 1994. An outline of the range of rape offenses encompasses "date rape," rape in the context of an established partnership, "stranger rape," and rape sanctioned by warfare or political unrest. Sequelae associated with the aftermath of rape are briefly discussed. They include identification with the aggressor, a sense of having been contaminated, fears of having been permanently and physically damaged internally, eating disorders, sexual problems, and relationship problems. Predictors of a severe victim reaction to rape are also listed. Some implications drawn for professionals are the importance of training in psychodynamic principles that pertain to rape trauma syndrome, knowledge about the sequelae of rape and the factors that determine their severity, awareness of one's own attitudes toward sexuality and rape, awareness of implications for the victim's family, and acceptance of a realistic concept of a "cure."