The Failures of Consent: How the (En)gendering of Sexual Scripts and Desire within Consensual Sex Preserves Rape Culture within the University

The epidemic of sexual assault on American university campuses that was first acknowledged by Mary P. Koss in 1987 has resulted in the centering of consent as a key way of distinguishing between acceptable, normal sex and unacceptable, punishable sex. Unfortunately, various experiences of sex that fit within the acceptable, normal sex category according to university policy frameworks can often have just as detrimental side effects on women as rape does. The need to investigate how simplistic notions of consent might be failing women in challenging rape culture then becomes paramount. This paper uses a mix of intersectional feminist theory and script theory to provide an analytical review of contemporary writings and studies derived from various books, journals, and news articles on sexual assault and consent movements available through the University of Washington library system and various online resources. The findings include how various forms of apparently consensual sex such as coerced sex, compliant sex, and even enthusiastic, pleasurable sex can play into upholding rape culture, harm women disproportionately, and uphold men���s systemic power. By becoming involved in the continued modern discussions of consent, this paper seeks to redirect the current discourse on sexual consent now common on university campuses in hopes of broadening our perception of consensual sex and more adequately challenge rape culture.

Lawyers and the third dimension : A Solicitor v Council of the Law Society of New South Wales

Casenote and comment on the High Court case of A Solicitor v Council of the Law Society of New South Wales which dealt with the issue of whether a solicitor, convicted of aggravated indecent assault, should be allowed to continue practicing law.

Correlates of victimisation amongst people with psychosis

Background While much attention has been given to the prediction of violent offending behaviour amongst people with psychotic disorders, less attention has been given to the fact that these same individuals are often the victims of violence. In this paper, we examine victimisation amongst participants in a prevalence study of psychosis, and describe demographic and clinical correlates of victimisation. Method The study was based on the Australian National Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing - Low Prevalence (Psychotic) Disorders. The participants were asked if they had been a victim of violence in the previous year. The association between selected demographic and clinical variables and being a victim of violence was examined using logistic regression. Results Of the 962 individuals with psychosis, 172 reported being a victim of violence in the past 12 months (17.9 %). The odds of being a victim were increased in those who: (a) were female, (b) were homeless, (c) had a lifetime history of substance abuse, (d) had been arrested in the previous 12 months, (e) had poorer social and occupational function, and (f) had higher scores on the disorganisation summary score. Conclusions Clinicians should remain mindful that one out of every six individuals with a psychotic disorder reports being a victim of violence in the previous year. Models of care that address issues related to symptom relief, accommodation, and exposure to high-crime areas may reduce the rates of victimisation amongst those with psychotic disorders.

Was an increase in cocaine use among injecting drug users in New South Wales, Australia, accompanied by an increase in violent crime?

Background: A sharp reduction in heroin supply in Australia in 2001 was followed by a large but transient increase in cocaine use among injecting drug users (IDU) in Sydney. This paper assesses whether the increase in cocaine use among IDU was accompanied by increased rates of violent crime as occurred in the United States in the 1980s. Specifically, the paper aims to examine the impact of increased cocaine use among Sydney IDU upon police incidents of robbery with a weapon, assault and homicide. Methods: Data on cocaine use among IDU was obtained from the Illicit Drug Reporting System (IDRS). Monthly NSW Police incident data on arrests for cocaine possession/ use, robbery offences, homicides, and assaults, were obtained from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research. Time series analysis was conducted on the police data series where possible. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with representatives from law enforcement and health agencies about the impacts of cocaine use on crime and policing. Results: There was a significant increase in cocaine use and cocaine possession offences in the months immediately following the reduction in heroin supply. There was also a significant increase in incidents of robbery where weapons were involved. There were no increases in offences involving firearms, homicides or reported assaults. Conclusion: The increased use of cocaine among injecting drug users following the heroin shortage led to increases in violent crime. Other States and territories that also experienced a heroin shortage but did not show any increases in cocaine use did not report any increase in violent crimes. The violent crimes committed did not involve guns, most likely because of its stringent gun laws, in contrast to the experience of American cities that have experienced high rates of cocaine use and violent crime.

Fear of crime in Brisbane - Individual, social and neighbourhood factors in perspective

Numerous theories apply to fear of crime and each are associated with different kinds of variables. Most studies use only one theory, though this study examines the relative importance of different kinds of variables across a number of theories. The study uses data from a survey of residents in Brisbane, Australia to examine the relative importance of individual attributes, neighbourhood disorder, social processes and neighbourhood structure in predicting fear of crime. Individual attributes and neighbourhood disorder were found to be important predictors of fear of crime, while social processes and neighbourhood structure were found to be far less important. The theoretical implications are that the vulnerability hypothesis and the incivilities thesis are most appropriate for investigating fear of crime, though social disorganization theory does provide conceptual support for the incivilities thesis. Although social processes are less important in predicting fear of crime than neighbourhood incivilities, they are still integrally related to fear of crime: they explain how incivilities arise, they buffer against fear of crime, and they are affected by fear of crime.

Epidemiology of open- and closed-globe trauma presenting to Cairns Base Hospital, Queensland

Purpose: To review the epidemiology of serious ocular trauma presenting to Cairns Base Hospital, from the far north Queensland health districts. Methods: A retrospective study of cases from January 1995 to November 2002 inclusive. Cases were analysed with respect to demographics, cause and nature of injury, method of transport and time to and type of ophthalmic treatment, and visual outcomes. Results: There were 226 cases identified, including 71 open-globe and 155 closed-globe injuries. The annual rate of injury was 3.7 per 100 000 for open-globe and 11.8 per 100 000 in total. The Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population from the far north Queensland districts showed a disproportionate incidence, with 38% of the total number of injuries, despite representing only 12.3% of the population. Assault in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population resulted in 69.6% of injuries in men and 75.8% of injuries in women. Of all assaults 76.2% were alcohol-related. The majority (71.5%) of injuries in the Caucasian population were due to accidental blunt and sharp trauma. In total, 77.4% of injuries occurred in men, with an average age of 31 years. Of all open and closed injuries in the study, a final visual acuity of 6/12 or better was achieved in 47.8% of eyes and a final visual acuity of 6/60 or less occurred in 17.7% of patients, 20.8% patients were lost to follow up. In total, 14.1% of open injuries required enucleation/evisceration. Conclusions: The incidence of ocular trauma in far north Queensland is equal to other Australian populations. However, there is a disproportionately high incidence in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. Alcohol-related assault is a significant cause of visual loss in the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population. Closed-globe injuries are more common than open globe; however, the latter have poorer visual prognosis. Initial visual acuity of all injuries correlated with final visual acuity.

Self-reported risk perception, mood and risk behaviour across the human menstrual cycle

Normally ovulating women exhibit a decline in risk behaviours that may lead to sexual assault during the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle, whereas women using the Pill do not. The current study tests two explanatory models: the mood and fertility models. Self-reported risk and non-risk behaviours, mood, and risk perception in sexual assault and physical risk domains were assessed by testing fiftyone women at menstruation and during their fertile period. Based on the decline in risk behaviours shown in past research, the fertility model predicts that normally ovulating women will display greater risk perception during the fertile phase of their cycle. The mood model predicts that at menstruation, when negative mood is highest, risk perception will be increased and risk behaviours correspondingly reduced. Risk behaviours did not vary over the cycle or between groups. Overall, results support the mood model. Negative mood was greater at menstruation and positive mood during the fertile period for both groups, rational risk perception was correspondingly greater at menstruation. The fertility model was not supported as risk perception ratings did not vary in the expected direction and ratings were not specific to the sexual assault domain.

ESTRUTURA E DIN��MICA DO FUNCIONAMENTO PS��QUICO DE HOMENS ENVOLVIDOS EM VIOL��NCIA DOM��STICA

A viol��ncia, de qualquer tipo e natureza, �� um fen��meno que acontece desde os prim��rdios. A Organiza����o Mundial de Sa��de define viol��ncia como o uso intencional da for��a f��sica ou do poder, real ou por amea��a, contra a pr��pria pessoa, contra outra pessoa, contra um grupo ou uma comunidade, que pode resultar em morte, les��o, dano psicol��gico, problemas de desenvolvimento ou priva����o. A viol��ncia dom��stica �� definida pela APA como qualquer a����o que causa dano f��sico a um ou mais membros de sua unidade familiar e pode ocorrer a partir de um conflito de gera����es e de g��nero, configurando-se por agress��o f��sica, abuso sexual, abuso psicol��gico, neglig��ncia, dentro da fam��lia, perpetradas por um agressor em condi����es de superioridade (f��sica, et��ria, social, ps��quica e/ou hier��rquica). Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo investigar a Estrutura e din��mica do Funcionamento Ps��quico de Homens Envolvidos em Viol��ncia Dom��stica. Utilizou-se o m��todo cl��nico-qualitativo, com quatro homens em situa����o de viol��ncia dom��stica. Como forma de coleta de dados foi empregada uma entrevista e o Teste das Rela����es Objetais (TRO) de Phillipson. Ao analisar os resultados, pode-se observar que o ego fragilizado teme a solid��o, as situa����es de perda, e os ataques destrutivos do id e o superego permissivo n��o os cont��m, e para suportar os ataques persecut��rios dos objetos, e em fun����o da persecutoriedade e da culpa persecut��ria o ego recorre a identifica����o projetiva maci��a e a idealiza����o para proteger-se da destrutividade, permanecendo na posi����o esquizoparan��ide. Conclui-se que a an��lise da estrutura e da din��mica ps��quica e o tratamento psicol��gico (individual ou em grupo) de homens envolvidos em viol��ncia dom��stica, em conjunto com outras medidas judiciais e sociais s��o a����es necess��rias, pois, pode ser uma forma de ajud��-los a enfrentar suas limita����es, lidar com suas ang��stias, entender e controlar os impulsos, rever e compreender suas cren��as e trabalhar sua autoestima. Partindo-se do pressuposto que a viol��ncia dom��stica ocorre na rela����o entre homem-mulher, o tratamento e o entendimento dos aspectos psicol��gicos de homens envolvidos em viol��ncia dom��stica s��o de extrema import��ncia para minimizar este fen��meno, e deve ser aliado ��s a����es, j�� existentes dirigidas ��s mulheres.

Who are you sleeping with? The construction of heteronormativity in stories about sleep in British newspapers

In popular British understanding the terms 'sleeping' or 'slept' are often used to mean sex, and (hetero)sex is seen as crucial to sustaining intimate relationships. This study of UK newspapers coverage shows that stories about sieep and sleeping arrangements can be seen to (re)produce heteronormativity through focusing on the (heterosexual) 'marital bed'. The 'marital bed' is constructed as both the physical and symbolic centre of successful heterosexual relationships. Moreover, the maintenance of this symbolic space is gendered with women given primary responsibility. The focus on the 'marital bed' helps to exclude non-heterosexuals from the idea of intimate relationships, by effectively silencing their experiences of sleep and sleeping arrangements. Normative ideas about male and female (hetero)sexualities are drawn on to undermine women's right to refuse sex within the martial bed. In addition, the term 'sleep-sex' is used to reconceptualise stories of rape, minimising the victim's experiences and absolve the perpetrator from full responsibility for the assault. By exploring these articles we can see both how the representation of the organisation of sleep is produced through heteronormativity, as well as how heteronormativity determines whose accounts of sleeping are prioritised. �� Sociological Research Online.

Understanding the factors that affect the severity of juvenile stranger sex offenses

Understanding factors that affect the severity of a juvenile-stranger sexual assault has implications for crime prevention, and potentially, the assessment and treatment of juvenile sex offenders. This study investigated how victim characteristics and the number of suspects affected the use of physical violence and weapons and the occurrence of penetration in 495 allegations of sexual assault committed by juveniles against strangers. Statistically significant interactions between victim age and gender were found for occurrence of penetration and use of violence. Differences in offense characteristics were also found between offenses with varying victim-suspect age differences. When comparing the rate of penetration in the presence and absence of violence, little change was observed for lone suspects. However, the rate of penetration increased significantly for groups in the presence of physical violence, suggesting that violence in this context may be more expressive than instrumental. Theoretical explanations and practical implications are considered.

Cyberstalking:a new challenge for criminal law

Cyberstalking has recently emerged as a new and growing problem and is an area that will probably receive a higher profile within criminal law as more cases reach court (see Griffiths, 1999; Griffiths, Rogers and Sparrow, 1998; Bojic and McFarlane, 2002a; 2002b). For the purposes of this article we define cyberstalking as the use of information and communications technology (in particular the Internet) in order to harass individuals. Such harassment may include actions such as the transmission of offensive e-mail messages, identity theft and damage to data or equipment. Whilst a more comprehensive definition has been presented elsewhere (Bocij and McFarlane, 2002), it is hoped that the definition here is sufficient for those unfamiliar with this field. The stereotypical stalker conjures up images of someone harassing a victim who is the object of their affection. However, not all stalking incidents are motivated by unrequited love. Stalking can also be motivated by hate, a need for revenge, a need for power and/or racism. Similarly, cyberstalking can involve acts that begin with the issuing of threats and end in physical assault. We also make distinctions between conventional stalking and cyberstalking. Whilst some may view cyberstalking as an extension of conventional stalking, we believe cyberstalking should be regarded as an entirely new form of deviant behaviour. It is not surprising that cyberstalking is sometimes thought of as a trivial problem. A number of writers and researchers have suggested that cyberstalking and associated activities are of little genuine concern. Koch (2000), for example, goes as far as accusing those interested in cyberstalking as promoting hysteria over a problem that may be minuscule or even imaginary. The impression gained is that cyberstalking represents a relatively small problem where victims seldom suffer any real harm. Whilst there are no genuinely reliable statistics that can be used to determine how common cyberstalking incidents are, a great deal of evidence is available to show that cyberstalking is a significant and growing problem (Griffiths et al, 1998). For instance, CyberAngels (a well-known Internet safety organization) receives some 500 complaints of cyberstalking each day, of which up to 100 represent legitimate cases (Dean, 2000). Another Internet safety organization (Working to Halt Online Abuse) reports receiving an average of 100 cases per week (WHOA, 2001). To highlight the types of cyberstalking behaviours that take place and some of the major issues facing criminal law, we briefly examine four high profile cases of cyberstalking (adapted from Bocij and MacFarlane, 2002b).

The effect of young adult literature on adolescents' rape myth acceptance

This quasi-experimental study (N = 139) measured the effect of a reader response based instructional unit of the novel Speak on adolescents' rape myth acceptance. Participants were eighth grade language arts students at a Title I middle school in a major metropolitan school district. Seven classes were randomly assigned to treatment ( n = 4) or control (n = 3) condition. Two teachers participated in the study and both taught both treatment and control classes. The study lasted a period of five weeks. Participants were pretested using the Rape Myth Acceptance Scale (Burt, 1980) and a researcher created scale, the Adolescent Date Rape Scale (ADRMS). Analysis of pretests showed the ADRMS to be a reliable and valid measure of rape myth acceptance in adolescents. Factor analysis revealed it to have two major components: "She Wanted It" and "She Lied." Pretests supported previous studies which found girls to have significantly lower initial levels of rape myth acceptance than boys (p < .001). A 2 (group) x 2 (instructor) x 2 (sex) ANCOVA using ADRMS pretest as a covariate and ADRMS posttest as a dependent variable found that treatment was effective in reducing rape myth acceptance (p < .001, ��2 = .15). Boys with high rape myth acceptance as demonstrated by pretest scores of 1 standard deviation above the mean on ADRMS did not have a backlash to treatment. Extended analysis revealed that participants had significantly lower scores posttest on Factor 1, "She Wanted It" (p < .001, ��2 = .27), while scores on Factor 2, "She Lied" were not significantly lower (p = .07). This may be because the content of the novel primarily deals with issues questioning whether the main characters assault was a rape rather than a false accusation. Attrition rates were low (N = 15) and attrition analysis showed that drop outs did not significantly alter the treatment or control groups. Implications for reader response instruction of young adult literature, for research on rape myth acceptance in secondary schools, and for statistical analysis of effect size using pretests as filters are discussed.

Theoretical Foundations of a Study Examining Adolescent Literature and Rape Myth Acceptance

Adolescents are at the greatest risk for victimization and perpetration of sexual assault. This paper examines the current trends in literacy education which marginalize aesthetic reading experiences and using reader response theory, and argues that young adult literature may provide an opportunity to reduce rape myth acceptance in adolescents.

A novel method for rapid and selective extraction of male DNA from rape kits using alkaline lysis and pressure cycling technology (PCT)

There is an increasing demand for DNA analysis because of the sensitivity of the method and the ability to uniquely identify and distinguish individuals with a high degree of certainty. But this demand has led to huge backlogs in evidence lockers since the current DNA extraction protocols require long processing time. The DNA analysis procedure becomes more complicated when analyzing sexual assault casework samples where the evidence contains more than one contributor. Additional processing to separate different cell types in order to simplify the final data interpretation further contributes to the existing cumbersome protocols. The goal of the present project is to develop a rapid and efficient extraction method that permits selective digestion of mixtures. ^ Selective recovery of male DNA was achieved with as little as 15 minutes lysis time upon exposure to high pressure under alkaline conditions. Pressure cycling technology (PCT) is carried out in a barocycler that has a small footprint and is semi-automated. Typically less than 10% male DNA is recovered using the standard extraction protocol for rape kits, almost seven times more male DNA was recovered from swabs using this novel method. Various parameters including instrument setting and buffer composition were optimized to achieve selective recovery of sperm DNA. Some developmental validation studies were also done to determine the efficiency of this method in processing samples exposed to various conditions that can affect the quality of the extraction and the final DNA profile. ^ Easy to use interface, minimal manual interference and the ability to achieve high yields with simple reagents in a relatively short time make this an ideal method for potential application in analyzing sexual assault samples.^

Development of a surface-enhanced raman spectroscopy method for the detection of benzodiazepines in urine

Benzodiazepines are among the most prescribed compounds for anti-anxiety and are present in many toxicological screens. These drugs are also prominent in the commission of drug facilitated sexual assaults due their effects on the central nervous system. Due to their potency, a low dose of these compounds is often administered to victims; therefore, the target detection limit for these compounds in biological samples is 10 ng/mL. Currently these compounds are predominantly analyzed using immunoassay techniques; however more specific screening methods are needed. ^ The goal of this dissertation was to develop a rapid, specific screening technique for benzodiazepines in urine samples utilizing surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS), which has previously been shown be capable of to detect trace quantities of pharmaceutical compounds in aqueous solutions. Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy has the advantage of overcoming the low sensitivity and fluorescence effects seen with conventional Raman spectroscopy. The spectra are obtained by applying an analyte onto a SERS-active metal substrate such as colloidal metal particles. SERS signals can be further increased with the addition of aggregate solutions. These agents cause the nanoparticles to amass and form hot-spots which increase the signal intensity. ^ In this work, the colloidal particles are spherical gold nanoparticles in aqueous solution with an average size of approximately 30 nm. The optimum aggregating agent for the detection of benzodiazepines was determined to be 16.7 mM MgCl2, providing the highest signal intensities at the lowest drug concentrations with limits of detection between 0.5 and 127 ng/mL. A supported liquid extraction technique was utilized as a rapid clean extraction for benzodiazepines from urine at a pH of 5.0, allowing for clean extraction with limits of detection between 6 and 640 ng/mL. It was shown that at this pH other drugs that are prevalent in urine samples can be removed providing the selective detection of the benzodiazepine of interest. ^ This technique has been shown to provide rapid (less than twenty minutes), sensitive, and specific detection of benzodiazepines at low concentrations in urine. It provides the forensic community with a sensitive and specific screening technique for the detection of benzodiazepines in drug facilitated assault cases.^