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- Creators: School of International Letters and Cultures
- Creators: Stolzenberg Roosevelt, Stacia
Description
While there is a good amount of research focused on sex offenders as a whole, only a limited number of studies examine variations within these offenders, how people view the variations, and why their opinions may differ. This study focuses on the interconnections among gender norms, rape myth acceptance, and the perception of sex offenders by administering an online student survey. The survey measured rape myth acceptance and adherence to traditional gender roles to see how they affected perceptions of sex offenders. Perceptions were measured using vignettes that were varied by gender and the situation described. Results showed that higher rape myth acceptance would decrease the blameworthiness of the offender, that the offender was seen as more blameworthy when the offender was a male, and that women tended to see the offender as more blameworthy than men did. The type of sexual situation did not have an impact on blameworthiness, nor did adherence to gender roles. The findings support past research that suggests that rape myth acceptance can impact people’s opinions about offenders in sexual situations and specifically that these opinions differ depending on the gender of the offender. With some offenders being viewed as more blameworthy than others, it is necessary to examine sex offense laws to see how they may disproportionately affect some offenders and implement harsher punishments than the public may deem necessary.
ContributorsArenas, Lauren (Author) / Spohn, Cassia (Thesis advisor) / Fradella, Henry F. (Committee member) / Stolzenberg Roosevelt, Stacia (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2018
Description
This thesis uses a white paper to outline a plan that Arizona State University (ASU) can implement to better fight sexual assault in the ASU community. This plan focuses on education, training, and reporting tools for both faculty and students to better prevent and respond to sexual assault. This thesis includes a presentation that is to be used in ASU freshman seminar classes for an in person peer to peer educational experience to assure that the majority of the ASU population is educated on ideas about consent and bystander intervention.
ContributorsChange, Imani Simone (Author) / Vega, Sujey (Thesis director) / McGibbney, Michelle (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / W. P. Carey School of Business (Contributor)
Created2014-12
Description
The primary purpose of this project is to study the correlation between exposure to sexually-explicit materials and sexual offending. A thorough literature review has been conducted. The analyses include the definitions and history of sexual deviancy and paraphilia, a review of existing research that examines the complex relationship between said materials and criminal behavior, methods individuals use to access sexually-explicit materials, and case studies of individuals whose behavior is relevant to the purposes of this study. There does not appear to be a causal relationship between these two factors. However, there is an intricate, interrelated dynamic between the two that is worth examining more thoroughly. Further research should study the timeline in which sexual offenders first consumed sexually-explicit material, as well as the genesis of their sexually-deviant behaviors. This may lead to a clearer comprehension of their psychosexual criminality. Further understanding will hopefully lead to improved policies proposed by law makers, refined prevention/intervention strategies by law enforcement, and more effective rehabilitative methods for offenders.
ContributorsDwyer, Brittny Elise (Author) / Rebecca, Loftus (Thesis director) / Randall, Snyder (Committee member) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2019-05
Description
Many authors have shown that "real victim," "real rape," and traditional gender role stereotypes affect how people attribute blame to victims and perpetrators of sexual assault, and that jury decisions in rape cases are likewise influenced by extralegal factors, such as how much the victim resisted. Most studies only focus on the acceptance of rape myths and stereotypes about female victims, while myths and stereotypes about male victims are largely ignored. It is unknown how female rape myth acceptance (FRMA) and male rape myth acceptance (MRMA) may differently affect victim and perpetrator blame attributions. Whether the juror influences the effect of extra-legal factors on rape perceptions is also unknown. Using a randomized vignette design, the current study investigates 1) the effect of rape myth acceptance and gender attitudes on victim and perpetrator blame attributions, 2) how blame attributions differ by victim gender, level of resistance, and victim-perpetrator relationship, and 3) how the juror role influences the effects of rape myth acceptance and extra-legal factors on blame attributions. Results show that FRMA and MRMA are both positively associated with victim blame and negatively associated with perpetrator blame, that male victims are blamed more than female victims, and that jury membership does not influence the effect of extra-legal factors on blame attributions. Victim resistance and victim-perpetrator relationship also affected rape perceptions in unexpected ways. Implications for rape prevention programing, police and prosecutor decision-making, and jury selection are discussed.
ContributorsCoble, Suzanne St. George (Author) / Spohn, Cassia (Thesis advisor) / Stolzenberg Roosevelt, Stacia (Committee member) / Young, Jacob (Committee member) / Arizona State University (Publisher)
Created2017
Description
The purpose of this research is to examine rape and sexual assault as discussed in the literature including by not limited to the evolution of definitions pertaining to rape and sexual assault; the role of law-enforcement in re-victimization of victims through aggressive questioning tactics; the perpetuation of victim-blame as a consequence of internal guilt and external sources; and to extrapolate conditions surrounding the occurrence of rape and sexual assault. The methodology for this research is as follows: a literature review which was accomplished by searching for research and literature pertaining to sexual assault \u2014 particularly research pertaining to involvement of law-enforcement in sexual assault and rape cases, victim-blame, both internal and external, and attempting to uncover a universally accepted definition for rape; a testimonial: n=1 case study, written in the form of a narrative; and, an analysis synthesizing the literature review and testimonial. This analysis seeks to answer "what aspects of the literature does the testimonial support and which does it dispute?"; "what conditions of rape and sexual assault does it suggest, that may have yet to be identified or fully discussed and understood?" Furthermore, it strives to discuss the benefits of including a victim story, in its entirety, as told by the victim without any editing or censoring done by the researcher. The concluded findings for this research suggest that literature and research pertaining to sexual assault is quite vast, however the topics being researched are the same year after year. There is little headway being made to understand the conditions surrounding rape and sexual assault, characteristics of the victim and the perpetrator, and making efforts to move away from false perceptions of what must happen during rape for a victim to be classified a victim. Moreover, the findings conclude that there are few first-hand narratives of sexual assault and rape experiences. Researchers include snippets of a victim's words, but only those words that corroborate the findings the researcher is hoping to prove and solidify. By including the victim's story in its entirety, we are allowing for further exploration and understanding of why rape and sexual continue to frequently occur.
ContributorsWeick, Michala Renae (Author) / Moore, Elsie (Thesis director) / Duarte, Marisa (Committee member) / Department of Psychology (Contributor) / School of Social Transformation (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor)
Created2016-05
Description
The concept of rape has been a prominent part of historical U.S. criminal law, and legislation and statutes have changed significantly over time. Despite numerous reforms, however, there is still a lack of reporting, arrests, and convictions for sexual assault cases. This is due to several factors influencing the judgement of criminal justice actors, such as how cases are handled by police officers and prosecutors, who decide whether to further investigate a case, send the case to prosecution for sentencing, or bring the case to trial. Some of these influences include legal and extra-legal factors and certain beliefs or assumptions about sexual assault victims, which affect these officials’ discretionary decisions. As a result, criminal justice officials tend to dismiss or unfound a sexual assault case, especially with acquaintance rape, contributing to the substantial lack of arrests and convictions. These facts, which are examined in the paper, emphasize the need to reassess our criminal justice system's current response to sexual assault cases. This includes adjusting the evaluation markers for prosecutors, improving the communication between the relevant criminal justice actors, and implementing evaluations of prosecutorial ethics and community satisfaction.
ContributorsLooney Abney, Sophia (Author) / Weins, William Jesse (Thesis director) / O'Flaherty, Katherine (Committee member) / Barrett, The Honors College (Contributor) / Watts College of Public Service & Community Solut (Contributor) / School of International Letters and Cultures (Contributor) / School of Criminology and Criminal Justice (Contributor)
Created2023-05