Violent Crime - R*pe

R*pe - forced or nonconsensual acts

Force - physical force, threat of physical force, but not other types of threats (e.g divorce)

Lack of consent - incapacitation due to intoxication, mental illness, physical or intellectual disabilities

Sexual offences act (2003)

R*pe in the UK isn't a gender neutral offence

UK also doesn't classify anything other than penetration with a penis as r*pe

Pakes & Winstone (2007) - huge increase in recording but not in reporting, more people coming forward

Problems with prevalence studies

Cultural element of reinforcement - some see violence as an acceptable way to get their way

Few patterns to follow - majority in the home, committed against relatively young people, usually a victim-offender relationship

R*pists tend to offend more than once

3/4 are domestic

No one knows - difficulties with reliable data collection

Not a homogenous group - multiple cases, differences, reasons

Child & adult sex offenders very different, paedophiles different again

Aggressive aim - angry, want to hurt someone

Sexual aim - just want sex in any way they can

Sex-aggressive aim - intertwined, need aggression for arousal

Impulse rapists - pick a random victim by chance

Psychopathological profiles based upon convicted r*pists

Many r*pes aren't reported to the police

Less than half of police reports result in arrests

Many of those arrested plea bargin for lesser sentences

Social foundations in any society with male dominance

Assumes that cultural forces promote **** - misogynous forces, traditional sex roles etc

Do we live in a 'r*pe culture'?

Is r*pe a common experience for women in our culture? - importance on women's 'fault', proof

Is a proclivity for r*pe common in our culture?

Malamuth's (1981) likelihood to r*pe scale

3 ways in which men who score high on the scale resemble actual r*pists:

1. Both tend to endorse r*pe myths

2. Both tend to be sexually aroused by r*pe depictions

3. Both are willing to physically aggress against women

Might be measured through phallometry/penile plethysmography

Instrumental & expressive sexual aggression

R*pists as aroused as non-r*pists by consenting sex, but not all prefer non

Aggression is a arousal inhibitor for non-r*pists (lessens)

Assertiveness (aggression?) can act to arouse some r*pists - need to be careful in treatment

Existence of 'r*pe myth' attitudes (Burst, 1980) - questionnaire widely used

R*pists not necessarily distinguishable from non-rapists on these

Just world beliefs (Lerner, 1980) still held - people get what they deserve

Gender differences may lead to different percpetions about r*pe by people in the Criminal Justice System

1. Acceptance of interpersonal violence

2. Adversial sexual beliefs

3. Endorsement of sex role stereotypes

Leads to r*pe myth acceptance = likelihood of r*pe

Low levels of self-esteem?

Choice of non-threatening partners - overpower, easily coerced etc

Rejection during enactment of fantasy can lead to lowering of self-esteem

Stuck in cycle - rejection = low self-esteem = r*pe

Refine fantasy after disappointment

Anger r*pes (40%) - blitz attackers, disorganised, over represented

Power r*pes (55%) - fantasies, domination, organised (kits), under represented, more likely to reoffend

Sadistic r*pes (5%) - want to hurt, leads to death of victim

Power assurance r*pes - planned, uncertain on masculinity, kind to victim, requires reassurance

Power assertive r*pes - violent, confident, date r*pes

Anger retaliatory r*pes - grudges, chooses victim based on these e.g someone who looks like ex

Anger excitement r*pes - very violent, sadistic, rare

Dominance, power & control for all

Massachusetts Treatment Centre R*pists Typology (MTC:R3)

1. Opportunistic/assertive - important act, immediate gratification, blitz attack, use force

2. Pervasively angry

3. Vindictive - have victim type, assault more successful people

4. Sexually motivated - not purposefully to harm victim

5. Sadistic - cause emotional & physical pain

Perceived stress acts as a disinhibitor

Inability to find alternative coping mechanisms

Tendency for excessive: (more common in child offenders)

1. Rumination - overthinking about bad events etc

2. Emotional inhibitions - not able to use emotions constructively

3. Low levels of emotional control - snap at smallest things, inappropriate emotional acts

4. Low levels of benign control (high impulsivity) - want & need to have, so get

Admitters & deniers - r*pists tend to have external LOC

5 types of denial:

1. Admitting but justifying

2. Denying & minimising occurrence

3. Denying seriousness

4. Denying responsibility

5. Blaming external factors - drunk, drugs, stress, wrong frame of mind etc

Cognitive behavioural in focus (shorter, more proactive, understanding thought processes & preventing them):

1. Emotion control

2. Empathy enhancement

3. Anger management

4. Relapse prevention strategies

5. Social skill development (caution needed!)