NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
... system, thus being the major reason why very few rapists are punished, and to attract attention to the fact that die outcomes of forcible rape cases can be substantially changed by abolishing rules of law that are thought to foster such discrimination. Walker, J. , Archer, J. , & Davies, M. (2005). Effects of Rape on Men: A Descriptive Analysis. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 34, 69.
The authors of the article examine the occurrence of male rape incidents outside of institutionalized settings like prisons. The authors consider that help and support to male victims of rape is more than 20 years behind that of female victims. While the reporting of male sexual assault is significantly increasing year by year, recorded sexual offences against males are much lower than those recorded against females. For example, in 2002 4, 096 indecent assaults and 852 rapes were recorded against males, while 24, 811 indecent assaults and 11, 441 rapes were recorded against females. Male victims refuse reporting about the rape to police as they consider they will be disbelieved, experience negative treatment, or blamed for their rape.
The fear of negative reaction also hinders males to seek for medical attention after rape. Apart from that the authors examine psychological consequences of rape both for male and female victims. After rape the vast majority of victims experience an increased sense of vulnerability, become concerned with taking safety precautions, and think about changing their life drastically to avoid the possibility of being raped again. The victims often blame themselves and feel ashamed. Male victims often become confused about their sexual orientation, and, while some of heterosexual victims start seeking out homosexual contact after rape, some of them, on contrary, display outrage, hatred, or irrational loathing of all homosexuals.
Spoon, C. C. , & Horney, J. (1996). The Impact of Rape Law Reform on the Processing of Simple and Aggravated Rape Cases. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 86 (3), 861 - 884.
The authors of the article examine changes in rape laws and assess the impact on processing of rape cases. As it is claimed by the researchers, there has been a change in rape laws and the rules of evidence. The reformers criticized traditional rape laws as they defined rape narrowly and required both proof that the rape victim did resist the attacker, and corroboration of the victims testimony. These laws discouraged rape victims from reporting the rape to authorities and constructed barriers to the successful prosecution of rape cases.
In response to this, some states replaced the rape crime with a series of gender-neutral offenses defined by the presence or absence of aggravating circumstances, some states eliminated legal requirements concerning the victims resistance to offender, and some states enacted rape shield laws restricting to use of evidence of the victim's reputation or past sexual behavior. Summary The researchers unanimously consider rape to be a serious crime. According to the statistics, a woman is raped about every two minutes, and the men also fall the victims of rape, as approximately 110, 000 males are raped every year in the United States. Although the authorities claim that the victims of rape receive enough sympathy and support, it is far from truth, as society tends to blame victims of rape even more often than their offenders. To a certain extent it can be explained by beliefs of cultural stereotypes and personal perceptions about the victims of rape. The society faces so-called rape myths, according to which the victim of rape is often responsible for being rape, for example, considering that the victim asked for rape, or the victims behavior was provocative.
The female victims are blamed more often in case they have had previous sexual experiences, or tried to resist the rapist later (but not from the very beginning). In addition, as far as over 50 per cent of female rape victims were under the influence of alcohol at the time of rape, this fact, probably, also prevents them to report about the rape, as females are afraid of being disbelieved. What concerns male victims of rape, it was already mentioned that over 110, 000 men are raped every year in the United States. Male rape victims are often blamed less than females because as the description of rape of a woman implies that the female victim of rape has broken traditional gender roles, a rape of a male is different. This, partially, is explained by the fact that it is more difficult to imagine male to be attracting a rapist, while women often behave in a somewhat provocative way.
Heterosexual rape victims are blamed less than homosexuals, but, interesting enough that they often become confused about their sexual orientation, thus leading to either seeking for homosexual contact after rape, or, in contrast, start displaying hatred, and irrational blaming and condemnation for all homosexuals. The vast majority of researchers also prove the fact that the rapes are most often committed by trusted acquaintances than by strangers. R. Turner reports that four out of five rape victims were raped by their close acquaintances, and over 50 per cent of them were raped by their dates. The researchers also consider that due to this fact the victims of rape also tend not to report about the rape, as they are afraid of potential repeated crime, or revenge, or other negative response from their offender. At the same time, as the victims of rape are often raped by the people they know, the victims rarely label it a rape.
Although the vast majority of researchers consider that the victims of rapes rarely report police and authorities, D. Haws claims that according to police findings, over 25 per cent of rape reports in the United States are false. Yet, it seems quire embarrassing, and this is the only report claiming of such a high percentage of false rape reports. Another surveys and findings claim that there is indeed some percentage of false rape reports, but it is quite insignificant, as it makes up about 2 out of every hundred rape reports. There is also a hypothesis that the information is so different because it depends on people being asked. For example, sexual assault counselors report the lowest figures of false rape reports, while the policemen, authorities, and civil population tends to consider that there is a large amount of false accusations.
It is also believed that justice criminal system discriminates against the victims of rape, because, although the rape rate is very high, only few of offenders are accused of and convicted of crime. The victims to not want to report to police because they are afraid of hostile treatment from the police and are also afraid of vicious discriminatory attacks on their character when the investigation and trial will occur. The government and society understand all vulnerabilities in the justice criminal system and undertake all efforts to improve the situation. Some states replaced the rape crime with a series of gender-neutral offenses defined by the presence or absence of aggravating circumstances and enacted rape shield laws restricting to use of evidence of the victim's reputation or past sexual behavior.
Conclusion In conclusion it may be said that rape is indeed a very serious crime. The most embarrassing issue is that the victims of rape, instead of receiving an appropriate support and help, both from the side of local authorities, police, or community, are very often blamed for being raped due to plenty of reasons. These reasons, as far as I understood, are basically social stereotypes, especially when it relates to female rape victims. Female rape victims are often accused of provocative behavior and are considered to be teasing or provoking their offender.
In result, the victims of rape avoid going to police and report about the incident. Moreover, even in case the victim of rape goes to police and files a claim against the offender, she (or he) is often discriminated by the authorities, feel hostile treatment, and experience vicious discriminatory attacks on their character during a trial. Naturally, all these things make the victims of rape to avoid reporting to police. Evidently, something should be done to improve the situation.
While the U. S. criminal justice system consistently enacts various laws and rules in order to ensure that the victims of rape are treated in a just and righteous manner, it is still not enough. The U. S. society should create and support various community services to ensure the victims of rape are treated in a sensitive manner and receive all they want and need to.
The government, in its turn, should reexamine the rape laws in order to make the system functioning more efficiently. The community resources for the victims of rape should not be piecemeal, but, on contrary, should be coordinated to allow the victim of rape to go through all stages in the most convenient way (for example, going to the hospital for the rape examination and evidence collection, meeting with a detective in a police station, meeting the state's attorney to discuss prosecution, and going to crisis center to get all necessary information and crisis counseling). Beside, essential attention should be given to the male victims of rape, as males report about the rape much rarely. In such a way, improving the experience of the victims of rape with all these medical, legal, and mental health systems will be, probably, the best way to help with this problem. References Bryden, D.
P. , & Leng nick, S. (1997). Rape in the Criminal Justice System. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 87. Buddy, A. M. (2001).
Beyond Rape Myths: A More Complex View of Perceptions of Rape Victims. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 139. Haws, D. (1997). The Elusive Numbers on False Rape. Columbia Journalism Review, 36, 16.
Larimer, M. E. , Lydum, A. R. , & Anderson, B. K. (1999). Male and Female Recipients of Unwanted Sexual Contact in a College Student Sample: Prevalence Rates, Alcohol Use, and Depression Symptoms.
Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, Vol. 40, 1999, 40, 295. Mitchell, D. , Hirsch man, R. , & Navy, G. C. (1999). Attributions of Victim Responsibility, Pleasure and Trauma in Male Rape.
The Journal of Sex Research, 36, 369. Robinson Kurpius, S. E. , & White, B. H. (2002).
Effects of Victim Sex and Sexual Orientation on Perceptions of Rape. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 191. Spoon, C. C. , & Horney, J. (1996). The Impact of Rape Law Reform on the Processing of Simple and Aggravated Rape Cases. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 86 (3), 861 - 884.
Turner, R. D. (1990). Date Rape: Perpetrators Are Seldom Strangers and Often Are Trusted Acquaintances. Ebony, 46 (2), 104. Wakelin, A. , & Long, K. M. (2003).
Effects of Victim Gender and Sexuality on Attributions of Blame to Rape Victims. Sex Roles: A Journal of Research, 49, 477. Walker, J. , Archer, J. , & Davies, M. (2005). Effects of Rape on Men: A Descriptive Analysis. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 34, 69.
Free research essays on topics related to: aggravating circumstances, sexual orientation, rape victims, sexual behavior, vast majority
Research essay sample on Rape Victims Aggravating Circumstances
