Rape on college campuses

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In the United States, students are allegedly most vulnerable to rape on college campuses during the first few weeks of the freshman and sophomore years.

Rape is defined as the crime of forcing another person to submit to sex acts, especially sexual intercourse, often by actual or threatened physical force, or when the victim is incapable of giving consent because of mental illness, mental retardation, age, or intoxication due to drugs, alcohol, or illness. A rape can be a date rape, acquaintance rape, or a stranger rape. Rapes on college campuses are usually committed by someone familiar to the woman or man. According to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN), 35–75% of all rapes against women are committed by an acquaintance on college campuses.

According to the U.S. Justice Department, 1.7% of college women were victims of completed rape in six months , and in 90% of the cases the attacker was known to the victim. In a typical college career, one-fifth to one-fourth were victims of attempted or completed rape. However, the study also found that in "about half of the incidents categorized as completed rapes, the women or man did not consider the incident to be a rape." [1] According to the Journal of Counseling and Development, women aged 16–24 are at the highest risk of sexual assault. One study has concluded that as many as one in four college aged females have either been a victim of attempted rape, or rape. ^[1] [2]

One must however consider that this does not mean one out of four men is guilty of rape, as a single man could be responsible for multiple rapes. According to one study one out of twelve college aged men committed rape, making each responsible for an average of three rapes. ^[2] [3] The high recidivism rate for sexual crimes makes this result unsurprising.

1 Alcohol and drugs
2 Registration of sex offenders
3 References
4 Footnotes
5 External links
6 See also

[edit] Alcohol and drugs

Alcohol and drugs play a major role in rapes on college campuses in the U.S. According to “Alcohol and Sexual Assault on Campus” (Administrator, June 23, 2004), schools that have heavy drinking have a fifty to eighty-three percent increased likelihood of assault. The level of drinking is defined as women consuming four or more drinks consistently and five for men. Women and Men under the age of twenty-one are fifty percent more likely to experience alcohol-related assaults.

About 90% of rapes are allegedly planned.^{[citation needed]} Date-rape drugs such as flunitrazepam (Rohypnol, commonly referred to as "roofies") are occasionally used. They are quick to dissolve in drinks, and have no color, taste, or smell. Most have powerful sedative effects and can incapacitate the victim within 20–30 minutes of ingestion. They can also cause amnesia.

[edit] Registration of sex offenders

In 2000, Congress enacted the Campus Sex Crimes Prevention Act which requires registered sex offenders working or studying at higher education institutes to notify the state. The Act further requires this information be made known to law enforcement agencies with jurisdiction over the institute of higher learning. Other Acts similar to this one have been put into effect in different states in order to prevent sex crimes from occurring on campus.

[edit] References

Acquaintance Rape of College Students”. 2003. Center For Problem Oriented Policing. 11 March 2005. [4]
Acquaintance Rape on College and University Campuses”. College Student Journal. 10 March 2005. [5]
“Alcohol and Sexual Assault on Campus: New Findings”. Administrator. Vol. 23 June 2004. Magna Publications, Inc. Madison, WI
Briskin, Karen Calabria and Juneau Mahan Gary. “Sexual Assault Programming for College Students.” Journal of Counseling and Development. Dec. 1986. Vol. 65 Issue 4. Trenton, New Jersey
"Campus Crime and Victimization". December 2, 2002. National Victim Assistance Academy. 11 March 2005. [6]
McDonald, Theodore W. and Linda M. Kline. “Perceptions of Appropriate Punishment for Committing Date Rape: Male College Students Recommend Lenient Punishments.” Vol. 38, pp 44
Rape on College Campuses. November 1998. Jessica Pressman. 9 March 2005. [7]
"The Real Facts About College Rape". EnglishMajor.com. 11 March 2005. [8]