CHAPTER SEVEN

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CHAPTER SEVEN

• SEXUAL VICTIMIZATION

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Defining Sexual Victimization

• 1770-1845 in England
• Common law definition
• Elements
• Intentional sexual intercourse
• Between man and woman not his wife
• Force or threat of severe bodily harm
• Without womans consent
• Focus still on penile-vaginal penetration
• What does that leave out?

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History

• Eye for an Eye
• Protection of virginal daughters of wealthy
• Rape and credibility
• Force and resistance
• Utmost resistance
• Reasonable resistance
• Stranger v. acquaintance rapes
• Modern sexual offenses

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Problems in determining rates of victimization

• Official statistics
• What gets reported?
• Child victim
• Prior sex with rapist
• Type of victimization

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Prevalence and Incidence Rates

• Prevalencerates over a lifetime
• 18-44 of women (rape or attempted rape)
• At least 3 of men (rape or attempted rape)
• Incidencerates over a certain period
• 13 times more occurrences than in UCR

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Who are the Victims?

• Anyone regardless of race, age or class
• Overwhelmingly female (probably 95)
• Most at risk
• Female
• Black
• 16-24
• When and where at most risk?
• At night and in summer
• In own home

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Who are the Offenders?

• Dynamics of rape
• Power issue
• Domination is the goal
• Categories
• Anger rapes
• Power rapes
• Sadistic rapes

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Who are the Offenders?

• Why are Black males overrepresented?
• Consequence of focus on black-on-white rapes
• Denies victimization of Black women
• Denies most victimization of white women
• False picture of rape
• Typical rapist
• Impact of the media

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Victim-Offender Relationship

• 84 of rapes (attempts) by acquaintance
• Difficulties when offender is known to victim
• Shame
• Retaliation

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Child Sexual Victimization

• The abused
• 10-20 of females
• 2-10 of males
• 70 female and 30 male
• How much is reported?
• The abuser
• Male (96)
• 10 are strangers
• 90 are family or acquaintances

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Child Sexual Victimization

• Majority of rapes in childhood and adolescence
• 50 of rapes are before age 18
• Almost 2/3 of women report sex abuse as a child

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The Abuser

• Myth as to who abuses
• Age of offender
• Personality traits

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Increase in Child Sexual Abuse

• Quadrupled from early 1900s to 1970s
• Explanations
• Child pornography
• Sexual revolution
• Backlash against sexual equality
• Victims become victimizers
• Stepfamilies

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Consequences of Sexual Abuse

• Depression
• Anxiety
• Negative feeling about men
• Inability to trust
• Low self-esteem
• Alcohol/substance abuse
• Promiscuity
• Eating disorders
• Becoming an abuser

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Consequences of Sexual Abuse

• Have extremely high rate of revictimization
• Why?

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Date Rape

• Forced or coerced sexual intimacy by someone with
  who one has had a romantic or dating relationship
• Not a new thing
• 15-25 of college women
• 10 of college men admit rape (or attempted)
• Who is most at risk?

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Date Rape

• She owes it to him
• Who is a legitimate rape victim?
• Socialization
• Research of fraternities a male athletes
• Two factors correlate to date rape

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Date Rape

• 84That wasnt rape!
• 35 would rape if could get away with it
• 1/3 dont hear No
• Miscommunication
• Sexually aggressive men

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Marital Rape

• Contradiction in terms?
• Categories of marital rape
• Battering rapes
• Nonbattering rapes
• Obsessive rapes
• Is it serious?
• What took so long?
• NY law

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Criminal Justice System

• Response of family and friends
• Response of medical community
• Police response
• 8-16 are reported
• Unfounded
• Nonconforming victims
• Women of color

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The Court Process

• Prosecution
• Attitude of prosecutor
• Factors that influence conviction
• Victim-offender relationship
• Amount of force and resistance
• How good the evidence is

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The Court Process

• How victims prepare for trial
• Appearance work
• Rehearsal
• Emotion work
• Team building
• Role research
• Case enhancement

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SEXUAL VICTIMIZATION

• END CHAPTER SEVEN