Rape Perpetrators on Trial: The Effect of Sexual Assault–Related Schemas on Attributions of Blame

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 310-336 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon M. Stuart ◽  
Blake M. McKimmie ◽  
Barbara M. Masser
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Outcome Measures ◽  
Mock Jurors ◽  
Juror Perceptions ◽  
Pilot Work ◽  
Schema Model ◽  
Attributions Of Blame ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Influence Perceptions

Research has consistently shown that jurors are influenced by multiple schemas in cases of alleged sexual assault, including offense stereotypes and victim stereotypes. These schemas appear to be organized in a hierarchy, as victim stereotypicality seems to matter most in acquaintance assaults (counter-stereotypical offense). However, despite numerous studies demonstrating the impact of defendant stereotypes on juror perceptions of guilt for other crimes, to date, the impact of stereotypes about defendants (perpetrators) in cases involving sexual violence have been overlooked. As such, the current research aimed to build on the existing hierarchical schema model by systematically examining the influence of perpetrator stereotypes. Following pilot work, mock jurors’ ( N = 163) read a rape scenario that varied in terms of offense stereotypicality (stereotypical, counter-stereotypical), victim stereotypicality (stereotypical, counter-stereotypical), and perpetrator stereotypicality (stereotypical, counter-stereotypical). Broadly consistent effects of offense stereotypicality and victim stereotypicality were observed across the outcome measures, such that the victim was perceived more positively and the perpetrator more negatively when the victim was described as being stereotypical and when the offense was described as stereotypical. However, contrary to past findings, the effect of victim stereotypicality did not differ as a function of offense stereotypicality. Furthermore, perpetrator stereotypicality did not influence perceptions in the stereotypical offense scenario. These findings suggest that contrary to the assertions of previous research, there is not a series of specific, individual stereotypes that impact attributions of blame, rather, there may be one underlying schema about consent that influences perceptions. These findings have important implications for how we address the effect of juror-held schemas on attributions of blame in cases of sexual assault.

Mandatory Reporting and Adolescent Sexual Assault

2021 ◽  
pp. 152483802110302
Author(s):  
Caroline Bailey ◽  
Jessica Shaw ◽  
Abril Harris
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Key Words ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Mandatory Reporting ◽  
Age Group ◽  
Long Term Consequences ◽  
The Impact

Adolescents experience alarmingly high rates of sexual violence, higher than any other age-group. This is concerning as sexual violence can have detrimental effects on teens’ personal and relational well-being, causing long-term consequences for the survivor. Still, adolescents are hesitant to report the assault or seek out services and resources. When an adolescent survivor does seek out services, they may interact with a provider who is a mandatory reporter. This scoping review sought to synthesize the current U.S.-based research on the role, challenges, and impact of mandatory reporting (MR) in the context of adolescent sexual assault. Database searches using key words related to MR, sexual assault, and adolescence identified 29 peer-reviewed articles. However, none of these articles reported on empirical investigations of the phenomenon of interest and instead consisted of case studies, commentaries, and position papers. The scoping review was expanded to provide a lay of the land of what we know about the intersection of adolescent sexual assault and MR. Results of the review indicate that though implemented broadly, MR policies vary between individuals, organizations, and states and have historically been challenging to implement due to this variation, conflicts with other laws, tension between these policies and providers’ values, and other factors. Based on the available literature, the impact of MR in the context of adolescent sexual assault is unknown. There is a critical need for research and evaluation on the implementation and impact of MR policies, especially in the context of adolescents and sexual violence.

Widening the Lens: An Ecological Review of Campus Sexual Assault

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 179-192 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrie A. Moylan ◽  
McKenzie Javorka
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Institutional Factors ◽  
Individual Risk ◽  
Level Variation ◽  
Campus Sexual Assault ◽  
Institutional Risk ◽  
Campus Services ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Campus Level

Varying prevalence rates of sexual violence across colleges and universities indicate the need to understand institutional factors underlying such variation; however, research often focuses exclusively on individual risk and protective factors, which both under theorizes and under explains the phenomenon of campus sexual assault. In this review, we propose that broadening to include campus- and contextual-level factors is necessary to fully explain campus sexual assault. Using an ecological approach, we identify and synthesize research related to campus-level variation in sexual violence, including availability of campus services and resources for survivors, institutional risk factors such as alcohol and party culture, athletics, and fraternities, and the impact of policies at the state and federal levels. Suggestions are made for conducting additional research at the campus level and implications of reframing campus sexual assault from an institutional lens are discussed, including the importance of this approach for practice, evaluation, and policy.

Mock Juror Perception of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Testimony

2012 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 500-511 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nesa E. Wasarhaley ◽  
Theresa A. Simcic ◽  
Jonathan M. Golding
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Registered Nurse ◽  
Mock Juror ◽  
Mock Jurors ◽  
Men And Women ◽  
Legal Proceedings ◽  
Perceived Credibility ◽  
Rape Trial ◽  
Rape Case ◽  
The Impact

The perception of a sexual assault nurse examiner’s (SANE) testimony in a criminal rape trial was investigated. Men and women undergraduates (N = 138) read a fictional criminal trial summary of a rape case in which medical testimony from a SANE or a registered nurse (RN) was presented, or no medical testimony was presented. Results indicated that mock jurors were more likely to render guilty verdicts when a SANE testified than when an RN testified, and this relationship was fully mediated by perceived credibility of the nurse as well as provictim perceptions. Results are discussed in terms of the impact of SANE involvement in legal proceedings.

IN BED WITH VIRGIL: AUSONIUS’WEDDING CENTOAND ITS RECEPTION

2016 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-250
Author(s):  
Sigrid Schottenius Cullhed
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Political Power ◽  
Logical Consequence ◽  
Fourth Century ◽  
The Body ◽  
Sexual Violation ◽  
Artistic Representation ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Impact

Judging from its history of effect, theWedding Centoproduced by the fourth-century poet Ausonius is in fact not a poem about a wedding at all. It is a work about the ethics of textual recycling; about the impact of political power and patronage on literary production; about smut, or rather about where the responsibility lies when a reader sees smut when none was intended. It is also a poem about sexual violence, but this aspect of the text has been largely missing in its scholarly reception. Such an absence is perhaps to be expected. Sexual assault is a notoriously under-reported offence, and its invisibility tends to extend into the realm of artistic representation and its scholarly treatment. During the last couple of decades, for instance, film scholars have addressed the need to re-read cinematic portrayals of rape in order to unearth it from ‘metaphor and euphemism, naturalized plot device and logical consequence…restoring rape to the literal, to the body: restoring that is, the violence – the physical, sexual violation’. This issue must be addressed here, but first a few words about theCentoand the most prominent trends in its reception.

Behind closed doors: university employees as stakeholders in campus sexual violence

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (4) ◽  
pp. 290-304
Author(s):  
Marina Rosenthal ◽  
Carly P. Smith ◽  
Jennifer J. Freyd
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Community Members ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Campus Sexual Assault ◽  
University Employees ◽  
Ongoing Relationship ◽  
Sexual Assault Case ◽  
The University ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine employees’ experiences of institutional betrayal after a campus sexual assault. Design/methodology/approach University employees completed online measures evaluating various attitudes toward the university. Findings The majority of participants reported institutional betrayal in the university’s response to the case. Employees who reported institutional betrayal indicated significantly lower attachment to the university than employees who reported no institutional betrayal. Institutional betrayal mediated the relationship between institutional attachment and institutional forgiveness. Social implications Universities’ failure to respond effectively and promptly to sexual violence does not go unnoticed by employees. Institutional actions after sexual assault have the power to damage employees’ attachment to the university – employees who experienced institutional betrayal were less attached, and ultimately less forgiving of the institution. Universities’ poor prevention and response efforts impact their entire campus community and compromise community members’ ongoing relationship with the school. Originality/value College students’ active resistance to sexual violence on campus is featured prominently on the pages of major news outlets. Yet, less featured in research and media is the impact of campus sexual assault on university employees, particularly after sexual assault cases are mishandled. This study offers perspective on employees’ experiences and reactions after a prominent sexual assault case.

scholarly journals The Ukrainian-Russian Virtual Flashmob against Sexual Assault

2018 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 487-500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Feruza Aripova ◽  
Janet Elise Johnson
Keyword(s):  
New York ◽  
Public Schools ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Violence Against Women ◽  
New York University ◽  
Feminist Activism ◽  
University Center ◽  
Female Promiscuity ◽  
The Impact

Feruza Aripova – PhD Candidate in World History, Northeastern University; Center Associate, Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies, Harvard University; Visiting Scholar, Jordan Center for the Advanced Study of Russia, New York University, USA. Email: [email protected] Janet Elise Johnson – Professor of Political Science and Women’s & Gender Studies, Brooklyn College, City University of New York; Visiting Scholar, Center for European and Mediterranean Studies at New York University, New York, USA. Email: [email protected] This article examines the 2016 Ukrainian-Russian virtual flashmob that took on the issues of sexual assault, including childhood sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and rape. Begun by a Ukrainian activist on Facebook, the flashmob resulted in more than ten thousand original posts and led to a broader discussion on violence against women in Ukrainian and Russian. Many women (and some men) for the first time publicly disclosed excruciating details of physical and psychological coercion and the lasting trauma they suffered. The commonalities across the posts and the public visibility of the flashmob directly confronted the stigma attached to the topic of sexual violence. The media reactions to the flashmob ranged from empathy toward the victims and condemnation of the perpetrators to criticism of female promiscuity and victim blaming. The flashmob had concrete results: criminal cases were opened against teachers at one of Moscow’s prominent public schools and a series of initiatives were directed against sexual violence in Ukraine. This article provides the first systematic documentation and analysis of these posts as well as their reception in mass media and the impact so far of the flashmob, situating this flashmob as the same kind of activism that was seen in the bigger 2017 #MeToo campaign. In these ways, we contribute to what little social scientists know about violence against women in the post-Soviet region and assess this new tactic of feminist activism. Unsurprisingly, such activism does not change societies in one fell swoop, but the Ukrainian-Russian flashmob shows how virtual activism can nudge towards progressive change.

Sexual Assault on the College Campus

2012 ◽  
Vol 39 (11) ◽  
pp. 1457-1480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cortney A. Franklin ◽  
Leana Allen Bouffard ◽  
Travis C. Pratt
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Peer Relationships ◽  
Peer Support ◽  
Self Control ◽  
Theory Of Crime ◽  
Male Peer ◽  
Male Peer Support ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Support Model

Research on college sexual assault has focused on offender behavior to understand why men perpetrate sexual violence. Dominant theories have incorporated forms of male peer support, paying particular attention to the impact of rape-supportive social relationships on woman abuse. In contrast, Gottfredson and Hirschi’s general theory of crime proposes that low self-control predicts crime and other related life outcomes—including the kinds of antisocial peer relationships that the male peer support model contends causes sexual violence. The exclusion of measures of self-control on sexual assault may result in a misspecified peer support model. Accordingly, the current research empirically tests Schwartz and DeKeseredy’s male peer support model and examines the role of self-control in the larger male peer support model of sexual assault. Implications for theory and research are discussed.

scholarly journals Silencing by design: Lessons learned about child sexual abuse from a university sexual assault survey

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
pp. 174550652110170
Author(s):  
Marika Guggisberg ◽  
Hillary J Haldane ◽  
Vicki Lowik ◽  
Annabel Taylor ◽  
Bethany Mackay ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Abuse ◽  
Child Sexual Abuse ◽  
Sexual Assault ◽  
University Students ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Sexual Victimization ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Prepubescent Child ◽  
The Impact

Background: University students have been recognized as particularly being vulnerable to sexual victimization. Purpose: With little research to date, and acknowledgement for the need of a better understanding of sexual violence, our study analysed the CQUniversity Sexual Assault Survey’s qualitative responses. An open-ended qualitative question allowed students to provide information anonymously. Methods: A total of 109 participants contributed responses with 17 respondents commenting on the fact that the survey omitted to ask about child sexual abuse prior to the cut-off age of 12 years. Results: University students revealed unexpected disclosures of prepubescent child sexual abuse victimization and ongoing sexual victimization into adulthood. Furthermore, students’ comments indicated negative impacts including distress, mental health and substance use problems, distrust, and interpersonal difficulties. Strong feelings about ‘silencing’ prepubescent child sexual abuse in university surveys were expressed with a request that questions about child sexual abuse prior to the age of 12 years be included. Conclusion: Our study found that child sexual abuse victimization is important to students. Recommendations indicate the need for future research about sexual violence among university students without age restrictions to gain a better understanding about the impact of trauma including revictimization experiences.

Sexual violence, coping, and empowerment among Latina sexual assault survivors

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Danielle Quintero Orosco
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Assault ◽  
Sexual Violence ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Latina Women ◽  
Sexual Assault Survivors ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
And Gender ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Latina Survivors ◽  
Assault Survivors

[ACCESS RESTRICTED TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI AT AUTHOR'S REQUEST.] Rates of sexual violence are as high as approximately 1 in 3 (34.8%) for Latina women (Basile et al., 2015) and little information is known regarding coping strategies Latina survivors utilize post sexual assault. A qualitative case study approach was utilized to explore the relationships between sexual assault, coping, and resiliency and the impact these have on Latina survivors' sense of empowerment. The results of this study found that Latina women utilized adaptive coping skills that were significantly influenced by their culture as well as their ethnic and gender identity. Participants also developed a strong sense of empowerment by providing service to other survivors through multiple forms of advocacy and by finding meaning or a higher calling within their sexual assault experience. Participants also described empowerment as having emerged from identifying their recovery as a journey and through empathic views and feelings towards themselves and others. Overall, the results of this study showed that the intersection of culture, ethnicity, and gender permeated through all facets of their recovery and sense of empowerment. This study also provides implications for future research and practice in the psychological field with regard to working with and supporting Latina sexual assault survivors.

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