Rape

1
Rape

• Forced penetration of a victims vagina, anus or
  oral cavity by penis or other object against the
  victims will or in a circumstance in which the
  victim is mentally incapacitated and unable to
  give consent
• Does NOT include
• sexual harassment
• use of verbal coercion (unless there is a threat
  of force)
  
• circumstances in which an individual is
  intoxicated but able to understand his/her
  circumstances and able to control behavior (grey
  area in herewhen is a person intoxicated beyond
  ability to give consent?)
• circumstances in which consent is given, but the
  sex act is later regretted
  

2
Basics of Rape

• Prevalence rates are highly controversial
• Mary Koss 1 in 4 probably exaggerates them
• Her study is criticized by both researchers
  (Gilbert, 1993) and liberal feminists
  (Hoff-Sommers, 1994) as an exaggeration and
  hyperbolic
• Government statistics put rape rates between
  10-18
  
• 13 by Kilpatrick et al (1992).
• Malamuth (1981) 1 in 3 college males would
  commit rape if they could be assured of never
  being caught.
  
• This study, like Koss, tends to get caught by
  tricky wording and poor definitions of rape,
  including intoxication and consensual sex
  
• If you ask college males Would you commit rape
  against a woman if you could be assured of never
  being caught numbers typically are FAR lower
  (Mould, 1990).

3
Victimology

• Victimology is the study of what factors may help
  predict who is the victim of a crime
  
• not an attempt to suggest victims deserve to be
  victimized
  
• does acknowledge that victim behavior can
  contribute to a crime
  
• Prostitutes are, by far, the largest group of
  victims
  
• low SES, particularly homeless women are next
• victims of SOME rapes may have borderline
  qualities
  
• This is not true for all rapes, important not to
  generalize
  
• however, borderline women more likely to be
  victims of multiple rapes
  
• Regarding stranger rapes, it is possible any
  woman may be victimized, though low SES are still
  at higher risk due to neighborhood

4
Is rape motivated by sexual desire?

• Yes.
• Power DOES play a role for as well, as they are
  sexually aroused by power
  
• Rape as a crime of power not sex put forth by
  Brownmiller (1975)
  
• statement of ideology, not science
• motives for rape vary between rapists
• sexual orgasm is a big part of the motive
• homosexual rapists will rape other males

5
Thornhill Palmer (2000)

• Rape occurs at equal rates across all cultures
  (using standard def. of rape)
  
• Many rapists have difficulty attaining consensual
  sex
  
• many rapists also have difficulty attaining
  erection when sex is consensual
  
• Rapists typically target young (17-25),
  attractive females
  
• Rapists admit to sexual motivation as chief
  motivation for sex (Smithyman, 1978). When
  rapists do suggest they are motivated by male
  dominance it is typically subsequent to leading
  questioning, and is a dubious assertion (Symons,
  1979).
• Use of violence in sex is part of the sexual
  thrill for some rapists
  
• Rape occurs in other species
• Rape is not a method of social control employed
  by ALL males against females, as rape continues
  to be severely punished in societies in which
  males continue to constitute the majority of
  lawmakers.

6
General Characteristics of Rapists

• Average to low-average intelligence (high
  variance)
  
• endorse traditional sex-role stereotypes
• Background suggests lack of intimacy with
  parents
  
• issues regarding sexual victimization are iffy at
  best
  
• may suffer neglect or abuse from mother
• In other cases are simply psychopathic and view
  others (particularly women) as objects to be
  manipulated
  
• may be amused by suffering in others
• often fantasize about sexual violence
• aroused by violent sexual imagery
• May be charming and successful

7
Gentleman Rapists

• Also referred to as power rapists, though this
  is a misleading term
  
• power rapists are actually far less likely than
  anger rapists to be motivated by power or
  dominance
  
• typically have romantic fantasies of their
  victims
  
• go to great lengths to bring victims to orgasm
• use of minimal force
• may ask victims for a date after rape
• Most likely to endorse the myth that women want
  to be raped or that women will enjoy the rape
  once it has begun
  
• may express remorse once this is proven false
• May stalk victim, but poor planning

8
Anger Rapists

• Have more genuine hatred for women (or males if
  homosexual)
  
• May express negative view of women as
  manipulative, unfaithful, morally corrupt,
  unintelligent
  
• may assume other males feel same as they
• Most likely to have rage, anger and power as
  motives for rape
  
• May use excessive force, humiliating language,
  degrading sex
  
• May have long history of violence
• Crimes are typically impulsive
• If involved in consensual relationship, high
  likelihood of perpetrating DV against spouse,
  cheating on spouse
  
• may target female children for sexual abuse
  during times of anger or stress (and hence share
  similarities with regressed offenders)

9
Sadistic Rapists

• Enjoy the act of physically torturing a victim.
• Sexual pleasure is typical motive
• Injuring a victim, cutting flesh, hearing screams
  is what is sexually arousing to this type of
  rapist
  
• May have history of cruelty to animals
• Less vocal in hatred of women, and may in fact
  have fewer negative attitudes toward women
  specifically, but rather view all individuals as
  objects, irregardless of sex.
• May tend to be quiet, unassuming, charming
• high degree of organization and planning
• handless in Miami

10
Phantom in the Moonlight

• 1946 Texekarna Tx. Sees a string of rape-murders
  that are never solved
  
• begins with an attempt on life of male-female
  pair
  
• rapes female victim with pistol barrel
• Death of Polly Moore and Richard Griffin
• Attitudes toward sex prohibit labeling of crime
  as rape
  
• 1 month later, Betty Booker and Paul Martin
  killed.
  
• Bookers body is dragged 2 miles, shot multiple
  times and raped
  
• steals victims saxophone
• May have stalked couples at dances

11
Phantom Part 2

• Odd people brought in as suspectswitch hunt
  begins
  
• Attack home of Virgil and Katy Starks
• Virgil shot twice in head while reading
• Katys jaw is shattered by bullet while trying to
  phone police
  
• manages to escape to safety
• killer dabs his fingers in her blood and smears
  walls/furniture
  
• Police note that before each murder a car is
  stolen and later found
  
• track one stolen car to young woman who states
  she was with her husband Youell Swinney while he
  raped and killed his victims
  
• Police are able to confirm Swinney as perpetrator
  but convict him on auto theftas repeat offender,
  he gets life.

12
Profile Me!!!

• Victim is 23 year old single white female
• Victim lives alone in middle-class neighborhood
• Victim frequents local gym
• Victim has 24 year old white boyfriend
• No sign of forced entry
• No murder weapon on scene (kitchen knife
• missing)
• No useable fingerprints
• No witnesses despite obvious blood loss
• Vagina shows intercourse, indeterminate on rape
• DNA of sperm in vagina reveal 2 sets of male
  sperm