Date Rape-Criminology Event



Date Rape -Criminology Event

Introduction

Dealing with the criminal justice system after a sexual assault isn't easy. More than one woman has compared the process of seeking justice to falling down the rabbit hole in "Alice in Wonderland." As traumatic as sexual assault is, the nausea that threatens to overwhelm those enduring police interviews can be just as bad, especially if there isn't much physical evidence proving a crime has occurred(Gwartney, 2009). For all the sympathy shown a victim during the early stages of filing a rape complaint, sooner or later there is a hint of official skepticism. It is built into the system to protect the rights of the accused, too.

Case Analysis

A few months ago, a friend of mine suffered a date rape committed by one of her colleagues. It was the last thing she expected when finally agreeing to have drinks after months of saying no.

When my friend went to the bathroom, she believes he slipped a "roofie," as the Rohypnol drug is known, into her drink. She has no memory of what happened next, but she woke up in her own bed the next day unable to recall leaving the restaurant or undressing herself once she got home(Francis, 2010).

Groggy and in a panic, she called her colleague and demanded that he fill in the missing pieces of her memory. He insisted that whatever happened between them was "consensual." My friend was furious. Having sex with him was never an option.

She called a girlfriend who came over to cry with her. By the time they got to the hospital, the drug was out of her system. She filed a complaint with the police. Eventually a detective questioned her co-worker, but they couldn't charge him because there was no evidence an assault had taken place. It was her word against his.

My friend and her assailant have avoided each other at work ever since. In the meantime, she's struggled to make sense of how her case has been handled by the police, the hospital and by rape crisis professionals who gave her contradictory advice.

She knows that such drugs are used in thousands of sexual assaults every year, but the criminal justice system is ill prepared to deal with them.

Important points to consider in the case

The following are excerpts from a much longer piece I asked her to write outlining her thoughts on the subject:

When it comes to cases of sexual assault, women are often considered "guilty until proven innocent." Sexual assault is any sexual act committed without consent. It is wrong regardless of the victim's race, age, gender, socioeconomic status, religion and mental or physical handicap.

Sexual assault is never a fair fight. Add alcohol and there is little chance for a victim to defend herself. Add a spiked drink to the mix and you have a perfect crime. These invisible weapons are used to immobilize victims physically and mentally (by impairing their memory) while executing a sexual assault. There is no fight and there are no ...