Transcript Comparative study of drug assisted rapes and non

Comparative study of drug
assisted rapes and non-drug
assisted rapes reported to Surrey
police between November 1999
and November 2004
Miranda Horvath & Jennifer Brown
University of Surrey
8th International Investigative Psychology Conference
London, 15th – 16th December 2005
The Role of Alcohol and
Drugs in Rape
Context
• “Cult of Scepticism” and “Attrition”
Kelly, Lovett &
Regan (2005)
• 30% respondents = woman is partially or totally
responsible for being raped if drunk Amnesty
International (2005)
• 4 in 10 (36%) women sexually assaulted when
drunk Portman Group (2005)
• Liberalisation of licensing laws in Britain (2005)
“Drinking is a real issue…men I
suspect think they can get away
with rape…they are targeting
nightclubs where young girls have
been drinking.”
Deputy Assistant Commissioner John Yates
Association of Chief Police Officer’s lead on sexual offences
Observer, 27th November 2005
Prevalence of Alcohol and Drugs in
Sexual Assault
• College Students in USA – Alcohol involved in 1/3 ½ - ¾ (e.g. Testa & Parks, 1996)
• UK Reported to police: Alcohol in 1/3
Drugs in 1 in 10 (Kelly et al. 2005)
• Implications for police and jury response
- Focus on victims behaviour before attack
- If drinking less likely to be believed (e.g. Lopez, 1992)
Effects of Alcohol
• Impairs cognitive and motor skills
• Ability to engage in higher order cognitive
processes
• In men – enhance sexual behaviour and
aggressiveness
• Focus on salient cues in a situation ignore
more peripheral information
(e.g. Abbey et al. 1999, Hindmarch, et al. 1991; Parks & Miller, 1997;
Steele & Josephs, 1990)
Aims
To identify patterns and characteristics
among rapes which have come to police
attention in order to distinguish between
rapes involving alcohol and those which do
not involve alcohol
Data
• November 1999 – November 2004
• 93 cases victim under influence of drugs
or alcohol
• 91 cases (random sample) offender
charged, victim not under influence drugs
or alcohol
• Coding dictionary
Analysis 1:
Alcohol/drug implicated rapes (ADIR) vs.
No alcohol/drug implicated rapes (NADIR)
• ADIR = alcohol/drugs had been consumed
by victim and/or offender = 108
• NADIR = no alcohol/drugs had been
consumed by victim or offender = 76
&O
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Me usin
es
dic
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al
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Nig il ity
htc
lu
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e
Percentage of
cases
Vic
t im
Assault Location
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Location
Alcohol/drugs implicated
No alcohol/drugs implicated
Victim/Offender Relationships
• Majority of victims & offenders knew each
other, but significantly more in NADIR
(88%) than in ADIR (73%)
Relationships (x² p<.05)
Partners Ex-partners Friends Strangers
ADIR
14
5
48
25
NADIR
28
17
30
12
Victim and Offender Characteristics
• Victims, NADIR more likely to be:
- Married
- Remember being assaulted
- Remember after being assaulted
• Offenders, NADIR more likely to have
come to police attention before
• Suspects, ADIR more likely to be
unemployed
Offence behaviours
Victim
Bound
Physically
restrain
Vaginal
penetration
Sexual
fondling
Offender
masturbates
0.93
8.33
73.15
26.85
4.63
NADIR 7.89
48.68
94.74
2.63
17.11
<.001
<.001
<.05
<.05
ADIR
p
<.05
Analysis 2:
Who had consumed the alcohol/drugs
1. Victim Drunk & Offender Drunk
2. Victim Drunk & Offender Sober
3. Victim Sober & Offender Sober
4. Victim Sober & Offender Drunk
Location
Victim’s home
Victim & Offender
shared home
Other private
home
Victim Drunk /
Offender Sober
20.51
0
17.95
Victim Drunk /
Offender Drunk
16.67
9.26
18.52
Victim Sober /
Offender Drunk
53.33
26.67
6.67
Victim Sober /
Offender Sober
28.95
23.68
0
p
<.05
<.005
<.001
Did the victim and offender know
each other?
• X² (3,184) = 11.16 p<.05
- Victim Sober / Offender Sober
88%
- Victim Sober / Offender Drunk
80%
- Victim Drunk / Offender Drunk
79%
- Victim Drunk / Offender Sober
62%
Victim / Offender Relationship
Partners
Ex-partners
Friends
Offender
Drunk
Sober
Drunk
Sober
Drunk
Sober
Drunk
16.67
2.56
3.70
2.56
51.85
51.28
Sober
33.33
27.63
13.33
17.12
26.67
30.26
Victim
p
<.005
<.05
<.05
Victim & Offender Characteristics
• Victims:
- All sober victims remembered assault & after
- Most likely to remember being approached when both
parties drunk
• Offenders & Suspects
- Not possible to distinguish on any characteristics
Offence Behaviours
More frequent with drunk victim
• Victim moved from one location to another
• Sexual fondling
More frequent with sober victim
• Offender Physically restrained victim
• Vaginal penetration
• Offender masturbated
Main findings
• Alcohol/drugs most likely to be involved between
friends
• Inability to distinguish offenders, suspects and
victims
• Victims state of sobriety / intoxication most
significant
Future Research
• In depth analysis of cases where victim is
intoxicated, focusing on:
- How victim became intoxicated
- What the had consumed
- How much they had consumed
• Comparison with a larger sample of cases from
a different force
• Compare reported and unreported cases
Selected References
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Abbey, A., McAuslan, P., & Ross, L.T. (1998) Sexual assault perpetration by
college men: The role of alcohol, misperception of sexual intent, and sexual
beliefs and experiences. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 17, 167-195.
Anatomy of a big night out (2005) The Portman Group. Retrieved on 11th
October from www.portman-group.org.uk.
Hindmarch, I., Kerr, J. & Sherwood, N. (1991) The effects of alcohol and other
drugs on psychomotor performance and cognitive function. Alcohol and
Alcoholism, 26, 71-79.
ICM (2005) Sexual assault research. Retrieved on 23rd November 2005 from
www.amnesty.org.uk/news/press/16618.shtml.
Kelly, L., Lovett, J. & Regan, L. (2005) A gap or a chasm? Attrition in reported
rape cases. Hone Office Research Study, 293. London: Home Office.
Lopez, P. (1992) He said…she said…an overview of date rape from commission
through prosecution through verdict. Criminal Justice, 13, 275-302.
‘New drink law spark rapes fears (2005, 27th November) The Observer, p4.
Parks, K.A. & Miller, B.A. (1997) Bar victimisation of women. Psychology of
Women Quarterly, 21, 509-525.
Steele, C.M. & Josephs, R.A. (1990) Alcohol Myopia: Its prized and dangerous
effects. American Psychologist, 45, 921-933.
Testa, M. & Parks, K.A. (1996) The role of women’s alcohol consumption in
sexual victimisation. Aggression and Violent Behaviour, 1, 217-234.