NCJ Number
68455
Date Published
1976
Length
179 pages
Annotation
A STUDY EXPLORING THE INFORMATION OF FRENCH EDUCATORS AND COURTS ON GANG RAPE IS DESCRIBED.
Abstract
THE GOAL OF THE STUDY WAS TO ANALYZE HOW REPRESENTATIVES OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM SELECT AND RETAIN INFORMATION ON THE EMOTIONALLY CHARGED SUBJECT OF GANG RAPE. A TOTAL OF 11 EDUCATORS (SOCIAL WORKERS, PSYCHIATRISTS, AND SOCIOLOGISTS INVOLVED IN PREVENTIVE STREETWORK) WERE INTERVIEWED, AND 50 COURT RECORDS INVOLVING 231 OFFENDERS AND 50 VICTIMS WERE ANALYZED. AN INFORMAL CONTENT ANALYSIS OF THE INTERVIEWS INDICATED THAT THE INFORMATION OF THE EDUCATORS WAS SIGNIFICANTLY INFLUENCED BY THEIR AMBIGUOUS POSITION AS MEMBERS OF THE GANGS THEMSELVES (INGROUP) AND AS REPRESENTATIVES OF SOCIETY (OUTGROUP). SINCE NONE OF THE EDUCATORS HAD EVER BEEN PRESENT AT A GANG RAPE, THEY WERE CONSIDERED MEMBERS OF THE OUTGROUP. THE FEELING OF BEING OUTSIDERS LEADS EDUCATORS TO EITHER PLAY DOWN THE IMPORTANCE OF GANG RAPE IN THEIR DISTRICT OR TO REPRESENT IT AS A NORMAL GANG ACTIVITY. IN SIDING WITH THE GANGS AGAINST FEMALE VICTIMS WHO WERE ACCUSED OF HAVING PROVOKED THE OFFENSE, THE EDUCATORS RECONSTITUTED AN INGROUP AND BROTHERHOOD OF MALES. THE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF THE COURT RECORDS SHOWED THAT MUCH FACTUAL KNOWLEDGE ON THE OFFENDERS (NAME, AGE, CRIMINAL RECORD, ETC.) WAS RETAINED, WHILE ALMOST NO INFORMATION EXISTED ON THEIR PERSONALITY AND SOCIAL BACKGROUND. EXCEPT FOR OFFICIAL DATA, THE COURTS RETAINED LITTLE INFORMATION ON THE VICTIM IN WHOM THEY SEEMED INTERESTED ONLY IN CONNECTION WITH THE OFFENDER. DIFFERENT TYPES OF GANG RAPE EMERGED: ATTEMPTED RAPE, SEXUAL INTERCOURSE INVOLVING SEVERAL YOUNG ADULTS, AND A SMALL NUMBER OF TRUE RAPES. ALTHOUGH DATA ON INFORMAL SOCIAL REACTION ARE SCARCE, THE OFFICIAL AGENCIES OF SOCIAL CONTROL WERE SLOW, FORMAL, AND SEVERE. OVERALL, THE IMAGE OF GANG RAPE REMAINS VAGUE. THE ARTICLE CONTAINS NUMEROUS STATISTICAL CHARTS, GRAPHS, AND NOTES. THE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND ORGANIZATION ARE APPENDED. --IN FRENCH.