NCJ Number
137769
Journal
Journal of Social Issues Volume: 48 Issue: 1 Dated: (1992) Pages: 173-185
Date Published
1992
Length
13 pages
Annotation
An effort is made to determine what is known about the effects of substantial and widespread changes in Federal and State rape laws over the past 15 years and the success or failure of this rape law revision.
Abstract
Some researchers who have tried to assess the effects of rape law reforms believe the changes have thwarted feminist goals, others find little impact on case processing or victims' experiences, and still others proclaim the reform efforts a success. The most notable of the many obstacles to measuring and achieving rape reform are the need to eliminate juror misconceptions about rape and its victims. Contemporary research and law reform should focus on the trial process, especially on how rules of evidence and methods of constructing a rape case relate to social perceptions about gender, coercion, and sexuality. 38 references (Author abstract modified)