Type:	Journal Article
Title:	Attitudes regarding the perceived culpability of adolescent and adult victims of sexual assault
Other Titles:	ACSSA Aware
Authors:	Klettke, B Simonis, Sophie
Year:	2011
Citation:	No 26
Notes:	Sexual abuse allegations are notoriously difficult to prosecute (Fitzgerald, 2006; Taylor, 2007). In fact, data from New South Wales indicated that 74% of alleged offenders in sex offence cases against an adult that proceed to trial in the Higher Courts, are acquitted of all charges (Fitzgerald, 2006). For sex offences alleged against a child, the acquittal rate is slightly lower at 61%. In comparison, the acquittal rate across all offences is 30%. Wundersitz (2003) found similar results with regards to sex offences against children in South Australia.Several reasons have been suggested as to why the conviction rates in sexual assault cases are so low. For example, sexual assault frequently takes place with few or no witnesses other than the victim and the offender and results in what is often referred to as "oath against oath" trials (Taylor, 2007). There is often a lack of evidence beyond the victim's statement; research has shown that the presence of medical evidence in sexual assault cases perpetrated against children resulted in twice as many guilty pleas or convictions (Bradshaw & Marks, 1990). Regarding criminal offences generally, the strength of evidence tends to be positively associated with successful convictions (Devine, Clayton, Dunford, Seying, & Pryce, 2001).In terms of sexual assault, how the victim is perceived by those involved in the legal decision-making process can affect the legal outcome (Lievore, 2005b; Taylor, 2007). The Victorian Law Reform Commission (VLRC) suggested "juries can be influenced by their own experience and attitudes and may rely on common myths about sexual assault during decision-making" (VLRC, 2004, p. 38). Similarly, researchers have suggested that community attitudes may impact on sentencing in sexual assault cases (Clark, 2008). These attitudes often concern the extent to which victims of sexual assault - both adult and child - are seen as culpable or responsible for their own victimisation.
URI:	https://anrows.intersearch.com.au/anrowsjspui/handle/1/13517
Physical description:	Pages 8pp
Appears in Collections:	Journal Articles

Items in ANROWS library are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.