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Racial Discrimination in the Criminal Justice System
Criminal justice punishment and sentencing
Racial Discrimination in the Criminal Justice System
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A rapist; even the word can impact somebody, leaving an imprint on his or her brain, maybe producing mental images of memories that impacted a person's life forever. That person may not be able to contain the thought of being with another person, that person might suffer from mental health issues, that person has been a victim in a never-ending case. Some cases have gone viral. Media has reported cases where the assault occurred at a prestigious university, or the abuser even has a high-ranked profession. The outcomes can impact social media as a whole, leaving the world with a palm on its face and wondering what might happen next. It is too often that rapists are set free with little consequences. Individuals who are convicted of sexual assault …show more content…
In fact, 80-90% of people will know their abuser (Central Minnesota Sexual Assault Center). Just imagine, that trust is now completely betrayed. The relationship between them has been taken to a completely different level. The victim now has the choice to either report it or leave it in the past due to some sort of threat, embarrassment, the pessimism of the outcome, or because they’re too horrified to make eye contact with that same monster in court. In the past five years, 60% of rapes/sexual assaults are not reported to the police. Not only are they not reported, but some cases will result in the rapist leaving with a 50.8% chance of an arrest (Central Minnesota Sexual Assault Center). This could be the main reason why victims are afraid to report their experience, but nobody will ever know the exact reason. With that, there was a case that left a lengthy news feed on social media. Emily Doe, a victim, spoke specifically to women around the world at Brock Turner’s sentencing hearing; “To girls everywhere, I am with you. On nights when you feel alone, I am with you. When people doubt you or dismiss you, I am with you. I fought every day for you. So never stop fighting, I believe you.” Her words alone were enough to impact social media as a whole. Doe was sexually assaulted on campus at Stanford University and left behind a dumpster. Turner could have faced up to 14 years in prison, but he was only sentenced to six months in a county jail and three years probation. The judge sentenced Turner to six months since “a harsher penalty would have a severe impact on the former athlete”. After three months in a county jail, he was released for “good behavior”. The outcome later sparked conversation throughout the government, leaving officials to question whether or not more laws should be in place (Rocha). This situation impacted most, giving them a chance to realize what could be wrong with society. The
The vast amount of research has provided several explanations to account for the behavior of the offenders and the low rate in which sexual assault cases initiate criminal proceedings through a variety of theoretical perspectives. These include the classical approaches that focus on the individual who has committed sexual assault and the positivist approaches that aim to explain the social factors that influence the prosecution rates th...
90 percent of the victims of sexual assault are women and 10 percent are men, and nearly 99 percent of offenders in single-victim assaults are men (Bureau of Justice Statistics 2010). According to https://www.justice.gov/ovw/sexual-assault, Sexual assault is any type of sexual contact or behavior that occurs without the explicit consent of the recipient. Falling under the definition of sexual assault are sexual activities as forced sexual intercourse, forcible sodomy, child molestation, incest, fondling, and attempted rape. () Sexual Assault can happen to anyone, not just women it can happen to men and kids as well. Sexual Assault these days are a big trouble and it is not being addressed in good order, and it is
The acceptance that the court system often treats female offenders differently than male offenders is an accurate statement; however, it comes with many caveats. Generally, the public views women as nurturers, motherly and incapable of harming a child. Research indicates that female sex offenders capable of committing such acts have serious psychiatric and psychological problems. In comparison, research indicates male sex offenders are more callous, more antisocial, and promiscuous, involved in the criminal justice system, and have more victims (Miccio-Fenseca, 2012, slide 7). The consensus is that men commit their acts for sexual pleasure while women commit their acts due to psychiatric and psychological problems. Law enforcement, juries, and judges tend to empathize more when there are additional mitigating factors such as emotional or psychological problems. Due to these mitigating factors, it appears treatment of female sex offenders is more lenient than male if their crimes are similar in nature. Research by Miccio-Fenseca (2012) indicates that in comparison to their male counterparts, “female sex offenders rarely use force or violence far less than often…rarely use threats of violence to silence victims…rarely use threats o...
Society’s role in criminalizing statutory rape cases play a big part on how people look at the different cases. In society everyone expects for a younger girl to be with an older guy, so people may not see a priority in statutory rape laws. “Considering that it is customary for women to date and marry slightly older men” (M.W., 1998). Since it is not abnormal for younger girls and older guys to be together most people do not see an age gap of about three years that big of a deal. But if these people do not report a case of statutory rape then they are technically endangering a minor. Males in society do not see male statutory rape victims as victims. These men look at it as a pat on the back to the young boys who were sexually active with adult women. The men also make comments saying that they wish they could have been in that position when they were young. Some people in today’s society do not understand the priority of really enforcing statutory rape cases unless there is a huge age difference or the victim was a young girl instead of a boy. The media has a big part in which cases will be recognized. The media tends to show female victims and adult male offenders more than they would male victims and adult female offenders. Female offenders should be broadcasted just as much as the men and should not get privileges just because they are women.
One of the most common dissimilarities amongst rape criminals is the likelihood for re-offense. There are many different driving factors for sexual abusers in general, but this topic can be further expanded upon through the classification of serial rapists and single-victim assailants. Being of these two categories has a high effect on violence prevalence during the act, apprehension and conviction of the perpetrator, and geographic location of the crime itself.
Every semester, a student attending a college campus will have at some point experience some inappropriate, unwanted attention. There is always someone at school who tends to make someone uncomfortable, be it through eye contact, persistent advances, or just uncalled for innuendos. Of course, we do our best to ignore it, or to just report the bothersome activity, but that can only do so much without someone finding a way around such things. Someone is always going the extra mile to get what he or she wants, even if it’s at the expense of the victim. We can’t turn a blind eye on our friends, our family, or our associates in these dark, sexual assault situation. Campus sexual assault is a problem with plenty of factors regarding it.
Sexual assault is defined as a type of behaviour that occurs without explicit consent from the recipient and under sexual assault come various categories such as sexual activities as forces sexual intercourse, incest, fondling, attempted rape and more (Justice.gov. 2017). People often become victims of sexual assault by someone they know and trust (Mason & Lodrick, 2013) which is conflicting to the public’s perception and beliefs that offenders are strangers. Women are the main victims for sexual assault and are 5 times more likely to have been a victim of sexual assault from a male (Wright, 2017, p. 93). Men are victims of sexual assault however only 0.7% of men, compared to 3.2% of women, experience some form of sexual assault which highlights how vulnerable women are compared to men. Sexual assault is publicised and exposed in the media, however is often
To most Americans Rape has a tendency to be one of the cruelest forms of criminal violence. The victim can suffer from incredible injuries, and substantial amounts of embarrassment. Rendered powerless by physical force, threats, or fear, after which being forced to submit to sexual acts, including vaginal penetration, oral copulation, sodomy, and penetration opening with a foreign object, the victim is left virtually alone. Rape is an intrusion into the most private and intimate parts of the body, as well as an assault on the core of the self. Whether or not the victim acquires any physical injuries, the psychological impact of a sexual assault is severe. Additionally, the painful, post-trauma symptoms that usually always accompany rape are long-lasting. Even the victims who seem to have been able to move on with their life often find that an extreme feeling of powerlessness and vulnerability remains close and can easily, and unexpectedly, be re-experienced. A most important aspect in the long-term impact of rape is that the assault negatively changes the victim...
In the male typologies there are separate categories for child molesters and rapists, which is largely due to fact that they offend in very different ways. However, for the female typologies there is no such distinction, because all except one of the typologies have victims who are on average less than 15 years old (Vandiver & Kercher, 2004).The Aggressive Homosexual Offender is the only typology with an adult offender, however the victims are female (Vandiver & Kercher, 2004).The lack of a typology for female offenders with male adult victims could be due to certain factors playing a part in society. In particular, in today’s rape culture there is the belief that women cannot physically rape men. One reason why this belief is held is because society views women as physically weaker than men and are unable to overpower men. The male sex drive discourse also adds to this belief if men can never refuse sex than they essentially can never be raped. This belief has various problems for both men and women. The lack of a typology that includes adult male victims minimizes and ignores real men that were victimized by women. Not including men in the victim analysis sends the message that they are not ‘real’ victims. In contrast to that, since these victims are not seen as ‘real’ victims, the female offenders are not seen as ‘real’ offenders. By
Rape is the unlawful compelling of a woman through physical force or duress to have sexual intercourse. According to the Sexual Assault Statistics “,only 16% of rapes and sexual assaults are reported to the police department per year.” Women who are a victim of rape suffer a lifetime of fear, emotional stress and depression, but their rapist is sentenced to a maximum of 20 years in prison, depending on the severity of the case. After 25 years, Crista Stephens out of Houston, Texas can now speak about the night she was attacked and raped, but still, trembles every time she speaks her rapist name. Educating yourself, family, friends and peers can decrease your chances of being a victim of rape. Are 20 years long enough for a rapist to be behind
Sex offenders have been a serious problem for our legal system at all levels, not to mention those who have been their victims. There are 43,000 inmates in prison for sexual offenses while each year in this country over 510,000 children are sexually assaulted(Oakes 99). The latter statistic, in its context, does not convey the severity of the situation. Each year 510,000 children have their childhood's destroyed, possibly on more than one occasion, and are faced with dealing with the assault for the rest of their lives. Sadly, many of those assaults are perpetrated by people who have already been through the correctional system only to victimize again. Sex offenders, as a class of criminals, are nine times more likely to repeat their crimes(Oakes 99). This presents a
The legal system is flawed and its errors are reflected in how courts address sexual assault cases, and more specifically its victims and offenders. This is largely rooted in social factors and how communities, including families of offenders and victims, judges, legislators, and defenders, perceive or label victims and offenders. Societal misperceptions about sexual assault victims can negatively impact views on sex crimes and downplay its consequences. Thus, the culture of rape cannot properly develop ...
Sexual assault is an offense that plagues many U.S. citizens. Although some studies show that rape is on the decline, other studies report that the phenomena actually occuring is that less rape victims are reporting the crime. In fact, approximately 68% of sexual assaults go unreported to the police according to the U.S. Department of Justice in a National Crime Victimization Survey from 2008-2012. It is common knowledge that rape victims are usually severely traumatized after the event, which leaves them susceptible to various emotions such as shame, anxiety, numbness, fear, denial, and guilt. Because of this, many rape victims decide to repress their experience and let it go unheard. However, not only does this prevent them from healing emotionally,
In light of the recent Brock Turner case, the media was quick to point out all of the star qualities of the rapist, Brock Turner, and quick to point out that the victim was intoxicated. Brock Turner’s family emphasized that their son should not go to jail because he was a talented swimmer and had a bright future ahead of him (Levin). The media tries to justify the assault against the victim and benefit the rapist by describing them in a way where the public sympathizes with them. This steals the sympathy and support away from the victim who should be rightfully supported. In “Sexual Assault Prevention Tips” by Feminally, Feminally satirically but seriously puts all the responsibility on the perpetrator/person who could potentially be a perpetrator (Feminally 347). It is ironically written, but it gets the point across. One of the tips goes: “USE THE BUDDY SYSTEM! If you are not able to stop yourself from assaulting people, ask a friend to stay with you while you are in public” (Feminally 347). Almost always, young girls are taught to never walk alone and to always live in fear when they are—Feminally places all the responsibility on potential attackers that sexual assault begins with them. In a perfect world, women would not feel the need to take self-defense classes or carry pepper spray in their bags in order to be prepared for a potential assault. Victims, who are mostly women,
1 in 5 women will experience sexual assault as an adult (cite). To me, that statistic is mindboggling. I’m not sure people are really aware of the fact that in our society women are raped every single day or maybe they are aware but it doesn’t truly affect their lives until it happens to them or someone they know. Rape is a serious crime. I’m not sure there is a worse crime than rape. Rape is when one person violates the personal space of another. More times than not the attacker is male and the victim is female. With rape not only are you at risk of pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases but also your piece of mind is taken away. Women can experience symptoms of PTSD after being raped. Rape is crime where the act in itself is awful, but also dealing with it after is very painful as well. If our society were more knowledgeable about rape maybe it wouldn’t happen as much. Knowing the difference between the different characteristics of a serial rapist versus a single victim rapist could potentially help women or men identify their attacker, if they know what to look for. This may be more of a struggle for if the attacker is a stranger or a one-time offender, but if women are able to give details about their attack, this could help the criminal justice system find these criminals after the fact. In this paper, I will explain and critique three different studies that were conducted comparing and contrasting serial rapists and single-victim rapists.