Curtis Fogel and Andrea Quinlan
This chapter examines sexually violent hazing as a form of group sexual assault, which involves multiple perpetrators in a single sexually violent act, in the context of junior…
Abstract
This chapter examines sexually violent hazing as a form of group sexual assault, which involves multiple perpetrators in a single sexually violent act, in the context of junior men's hockey in Canada. Research outside of the context of sport suggests that group sexual assaults are relatively rare. However, available evidence suggests that the prevalence of group sexual assaults perpetrated by male junior hockey players is significantly disproportionate to perpetration rates by men who do not participate in competitive sports. Drawing on examples from junior men's hockey in Canada, three main forms of group sexual assault are identified and explored in which multiple male junior hockey players have been reported for sexually assaulting: (1) new male team members through sexually violent hazing rituals, (2) female victims during team rookie nights or initiation parties and (3) a single female victim away from team activities. The data analysed include media files and written legal decisions involving group sexual assault allegations against 65 Canadian junior men's hockey players. This chapter reveals that each form is interconnected within the misogynistic culture of junior men's hockey in Canada, where group sexual assaults have long been tolerated, silenced and ignored by teams, leagues and legal officials.
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Ryan Spohn, Abby Bjornsen and Emily M. Wright
The purpose of this paper is to examine factors impacting college and non-college women reporting sexual assault to police. The goal is to increase knowledge regarding differences…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine factors impacting college and non-college women reporting sexual assault to police. The goal is to increase knowledge regarding differences in the rates of reporting and reasons for reporting across these two groups.
Design/methodology/approach
Participants were drawn from a national telephone survey of US women and a sample of US college women. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted to determine factors influencing the reporting of sexual assault to police.
Findings
Non-college women were more likely than college women to report to police. Women who perceived their victimization as rape were much more likely to report to the police and women who had contact with a helping agency were also much more likely to report their assault. Contacting a helping agency is more relevant to non-college women’s reporting to police, while considering the assault a rape is more important for college women.
Practical implications
The results suggest that significant work is needed to encourage women in college to view sexual assaults as worthy of reporting. Boosting victim awareness and access to services is paramount. Providing education and empowerment to student victims to inform their perceptions about the definition of rape is vital, as women perceiving sexual assault as rape are more likely to report the incident.
Originality/value
The research significantly adds to the literature indicating differences in rates of reporting and the factors that impact reporting uniquely for college vs non-college women.
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Eric Beauregard, Irina Busina and Jay Healey
Although offender profiling has been cited as an effective tool to interview suspects, empirical profiling methods have completely excluded interviewing suggestions when testing…
Abstract
Purpose
Although offender profiling has been cited as an effective tool to interview suspects, empirical profiling methods have completely excluded interviewing suggestions when testing the validity of this technique. The purpose of this paper is to explore the utility of empirically derived profiles of offender- and victim-related sexual assault case characteristics (n=624) in the preparation of the interrogation strategies in sexual assault investigations.
Design/methodology/approach
Latent class analysis was used to extract profiles of offender- and victim-related sexual assault case characteristics in a sample of 624 incarcerated sex offenders. Moreover, relationships between offender and victim profiles were conducted using χ2 analyses.
Findings
Findings show that specific offender-victim profiles are related to greater likelihood of confession during the interrogation. Possible interrogation strategies for each profile are suggested and implications for the practice of interviewing suspects are discussed.
Originality/value
The study is the first to examine both victim and offender profiles in order to assess the significant victim-offender profile combinations and their associated probabilities of resulting in confession.
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Sarah E. Hennelly, Sofia Hussain, Tristan Hale, Martha Cadle, Joanne Brooke and Emma Davies
Half of British university students experience assault and harassment behaviours; few report them. Bystander intervention training has been recommended as a means of reducing…
Abstract
Purpose
Half of British university students experience assault and harassment behaviours; few report them. Bystander intervention training has been recommended as a means of reducing these behaviours, but there is little evidence about their potential effectiveness in UK contexts. The purpose of this paper is to understand UK students’ attitudes towards reporting and intervening in sexual assault, harassment and hate crimes.
Design/methodology/approach
A mixed methods cross-sectional survey (n=201; 75.6 per cent women) was conducted in one British university. Open text data were analysed using thematic analysis.
Findings
Students considered harassment and assault unacceptable, and were confident to intervene in and likely to report incidents. However, fear of backlash was a barrier to intervening and reporting, and they felt that victims should decide whether to report incidents. Students perceived perpetrators as being ignorant about what constitutes consent, harassment and assault. They identified a need for university community education about this and how to report incidents and support peers.
Research limitations/implications
This cross-sectional survey was conducted at one UK University. The data might not reflect other students’ attitudes, and may be subject to response bias. University community bystander training should be acceptable, report and support systems might be utilised by students. This may have potential to reduce prevalence and increase reporting.
Practical implications
University community bystander training should be acceptable, report and support systems might be utilised by students. This may have potential to reduce prevalence and increase reporting.
Originality/value
This is the first study to investigate UK student attitudes to prosocial bystander behaviours.
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In order to understand how collegiate athletics fits within the wider problem of sexual violence on college campuses, the purpose of this paper is to start with an examination of…
Abstract
Purpose
In order to understand how collegiate athletics fits within the wider problem of sexual violence on college campuses, the purpose of this paper is to start with an examination of the overall scope of the issue of sexual violence in the USA and the larger culture that produces it. Next, the relevant laws and adjudication of sexual violence operant in American colleges are outlined. Finally, college athletics is placed into this bigger context by highlighting a number of particular cases to illustrate a broader understanding of collegiate athletes involved in sexual violence.
Design/methodology/approach
The author examines the history of rape laws and adjudication and the federal laws relevant to institutions of higher education. The author investigates the debate over adjudication of sexual violence within the criminal justice system or through campus systems. The author read previous literature to determine links between sexual violence and collegiate athletes and highlights particular cases that have gotten significant media attention for clues to the rape prone culture that can be fostered within collegiate athletics.
Findings
This analysis highlights how collegiate athletics can be a context that creates a rape prone culture and that universities and the criminal justice system need further reform to overcome long-standing beliefs in rape myths which perpetuate sexual violence, discourage reporting by victims of sexual violence, deter bystander intervention and underplay the impact of sexual violence on victims. Thus, structural changes are needed within collegiate athletic cultures as well as on college campuses to address sexual violence.
Practical implications
College campuses and athletic departments must address climates that create rape prone cultures. There remains a need for systematic data collection of perpetrators of sexual violence, along side data collection of experiences of sexual violence. College campuses and athletic departments must have in place procedures and policy that adhere to federal law, whereby athletes are not treated differently from non-athletes and victims are offered appropriate services that recognize the trauma of sexual violence. Further progress toward a standard of affirmative consent is needed to move toward greater sexual autonomy for everyone.
Originality/value
There is evidence that collegiate athletes are disproportionately represented among the population of sexual violence perpetrators on college campuses. Thus, it is vital to understand this population and that connection. The value of this work is to explicate the complicated adjudication process between university disciplinary processes and the criminal justice system.
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James Markey, Thomas Scott, Crystal Daye and Kevin J. Strom
Sexual assault investigations present uniquely challenging circumstances to detectives, and a small proportion result in arrest. Improving sexual assault investigations requires…
Abstract
Purpose
Sexual assault investigations present uniquely challenging circumstances to detectives, and a small proportion result in arrest. Improving sexual assault investigations requires expanding the evidence base to improve our understanding of how these investigations unfold and the factors associated with positive case outcomes, including the likelihood that an offender is arrested.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors abstracted data on 491 adult sexual assaults investigated by five large and midsized law enforcement agencies to describe the characteristics of sexual assault investigations and to explain the relationships between these characteristics and the likelihood that a suspect is arrested.
Findings
Overall, detectives move swiftly to investigate sexual assaults but tend to miss investigative opportunities that increase the likelihood of an arrest, like locating and processing the crime scene or pursuing interviews with key witnesses and leads. Sexual assaults typically lack physical evidence that can be used to identify and lead to an arrest of a suspected offender; when this evidence is present, the case is more likely to result in an arrest. Delayed reporting of the crime to law enforcement decreases the likelihood of a suspect being arrested, but the mechanisms are unclear.
Originality/value
Few studies have used a detailed data abstraction process for a large sample of cases from multiple law enforcement agencies to understand sexual assault investigations and their case outcomes. The results can improve practitioners' and researchers' understanding of sexual assault investigations, including those factors that increase the likelihood of a suspect's arrest.
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Leana Bouffard and Amanda Goodson
Definitions of rape and sexual aggression have varied widely in the research literature, resulting in a wide range of estimates for perpetration and remaining questions as to the…
Abstract
Purpose
Definitions of rape and sexual aggression have varied widely in the research literature, resulting in a wide range of estimates for perpetration and remaining questions as to the factors that may affect involvement in sexual violence. The paper aims to discuss this issue.
Design/methodology/approach
The current study uses a sample of college men to assess multiple forms of measurement of sexual aggression and theoretical predictors.
Findings
Findings indicate that the different measures of sexual aggression (broad vs narrow; hypothetical vs behavioral) are significantly correlated with each other. Additionally, many theoretical predictors (rape myths, low self-control, sexual entitlement, and pornography use) are consistently related to all measurement forms. However, some variables (masculinity, peer support for violence against women, sexual partners, and alcohol and drug use) are only related to broad measures of sexual aggression, and some are related only to hypothetical (i.e. certainty of apprehension) or behavioral measures (i.e. fraternity membership).
Research limitations/implications
Because of the chosen approach, the results may lack generalizability. Findings do, however, point to important considerations in defining sexual aggression moving forward.
Practical implications
Results point to the importance of aiming policy and programs at the particular characteristics that most consistently impact sexual aggression.
Originality/value
This paper addresses lingering questions about the impact of differences in definition and measurement on understanding sexual aggression.
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Kelly Birch Maginot and Soma Chaudhuri
What effect does strategic frame adaptation have on movement continuation and popularity? Using a comprehensive online dataset from three North American cities, we show how…
Abstract
What effect does strategic frame adaptation have on movement continuation and popularity? Using a comprehensive online dataset from three North American cities, we show how SlutWalk’s continuous strategic adaptation of frames in response to criticisms and changing political and social climates has influenced its popularity over the past three years. SlutWalk’s initial “Shame-Blame” and “Slut Celebration” frames conveyed powerful messages that catalyzed protests and generated outrage mostly from young feminists during its formative phase. However, meanings of the term “slut” varied widely across racial, cultural, and generational contexts, causing the “Slut Celebration” frame to be problematic for some micro-cohorts of feminists and leading to a decline in protest participation after initial enthusiasm waned. The campaign responded to the criticisms by minimizing the use of the word “slut” and emphasizing the more transnationally resonant “Shame-Blame” and “Pro-sex, Pro-consent frames,” resulting in increased participation and continued prominence of the SlutWalk across North America.