To what extent are rape and sexual offence cases in Scotland impacted by those involved in the case believing or communicating “rape myths” (prescriptive or descriptive beliefs about rape that serve to deny, downplay or justify sexual violence)? What actions could be taken to lessen the impact of such beliefs in these cases?
Background
The Scottish Government’s Vision for Justice aims to establish an effective, modern person-centred and trauma-informed approach to justice in which everyone can have trust, including as victims, those accused of crimes and as individuals in civil disputes. As such, Justice Analytical Services have identified the theme of ‘Justice Processes & Experiences’ as a research priority. Robust research on justice processes, the experiences of complainers and the accused as well as the functioning of juries will inform work towards this aim.
Next steps
Get in touch with Justice_Analysts@gov.scot
Source
This question was published as part of the set of ARIs in this document:
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Related UKRI funded projects
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Understanding sex offence victims, risk and police investigations using novel datasets
The Government's End-to-End Rape Review found police investigations were poor and low numbers of rape cases ended in a conviction. Operation Soteria Bluestone (OSB) was launched in response. OSB aimed to transform the wa...
Funded by: ESRC
Why might this be relevant?
The project focuses on understanding sex offence victims, police investigations, and the impact of rape myths, providing comprehensive datasets and recommendations to support evidence-based policing.
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Trial by gender? Examining jury decision making in cases of rape and sexual abuse involving male victims
In year ending March 2020, 155,000 men aged 16-74 experienced some form of sexual assault (including attempts) (ONS, 2021a, Section 3). Police reported crime data highlights that men represented 15.5% of sexual offence v...
Funded by: ESRC
Why might this be relevant?
This project specifically focuses on examining jury decision making in cases of rape and sexual abuse involving male victims, which directly relates to the impact of beliefs on such cases.
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Hidden Depths: A Detailed Study of Rape Crisis Data
Sexual violence can lead to a range of individual and social harms, including long-term impacts on physical and mental health and wellbeing. We currently know most about cases that enter the criminal justice system (CJS)...
Funded by: ESRC
Why might this be relevant?
While this project focuses on analyzing data from Rape Crisis Centres, it does not directly address the impact of rape myths on cases in Scotland, but it could provide insights into victim-survivors' needs.