Rape: challenging contemporary thinking

"Rape remains one of the most controversial issues within criminal justice and receives high profile coverage internationally. Despite the many changes there have been to the law, practice and procedure in the investigation of rape allegations, and support available for victims, victims are routinely blamed for their victimization. Only a very small number of perpetrators ever face prosecution, let alone conviction. This book aims to take stock of current thinking and research about rape and the way it is handled in practice within the criminal justice system, and to challenge some of the widely held but inaccurate beliefs about rape. It brings together leading researchers in the field from psychology, sociology and law, considering new research and presenting new data from a strong theoretical and contextual base. The main focus of the book is on adult victims of rape, with chapters exploring such issues as rape and the media, the use of alcohol and drugs in rape, police decision making on rape cases, conviction patterns in rape trials, and interviewing victims of rape and sexual assault"--Provided by publisher.

Setting the scene: introduction to understanding rape / Miranda A.H. Horvath and Jennifer M. Brown -- Part 1. Processes and Representations. -- Rape myth acceptance: cognitive, affective and behavioural effects of beliefs that blame the victim and exonerate the perpetrator / Gerd Bohner [and others] -- Anger, disgust and sexual crimes / Roger Giner-Sorolla and Pascale S. Russell -- Rape in the media / Jenny Kitzinger -- Sexual scripts, sexual refusals and rape / Hannah Frith -- Part 2. Victim Vulnerabilities. -- Alcohol and drugs in rape and sexual assault / Jo Lovett and Miranda A.H. Horvath -- Narratives of survival: South Asian women's experience of rape / Aisha Gill -- Invaded spaces and feeling dirty: women's narratives of violation in prostitution and sexual violence / Maddy Coy -- Reviewing rape and rape allegations in London: what are the vulnerabilities of the victims who report to the police? / Betsy Stanko and Emma Williams -- Part 3. The Criminal Justice System. -- Seeking proof or truth: naturalistic decision-making by police officers when considering rape allegations / Stephanie O'Keeffe, Jennifer M. Brown and Evanthia Lyons -- Police interviews of rape victims: tens…