NCJ Number
215183
Journal
Criminal Justice Studies Volume: 19 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2006 Pages: 101-109
Date Published
June 2006
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This article examines the prevalence, nature, and consequences of sexual harassment among criminal justice academicians and practitioners.
Abstract
A review of the research indicates that sexual harassment is common among both criminal justice practitioners and among women teaching and researching criminal justice in university settings. In fact, contrary to expectations, sexual harassment may be more prevalent in university settings than in practitioner settings such as law enforcement agencies. One study reported that 59 percent of the 65 female academician respondents reported being the victim of sexual harassment during graduate school while another third reported sexual harassment victimization during field research. This is contrasted to studies of law enforcement officers that have found rates of sexual harassment ranging from 9.5 percent to 13 percent for female officers. The effects of sexual harassment victimization on female students, faculty, and police officers are reviewed and include a host of negative outcomes such as a loss of self-esteem, stress-related physical aliments, lowered efforts at work, self-blame, and psychological trauma. Strategies for reducing sexually harassing behaviors in academia and other criminal justice settings are reviewed and include individual strategies, such as using an assertive-empathetic communication method, and institutional strategies, such as developing clear guidelines about sexual harassment and ensuring enforcement. References