Blameworthy Suspects and "Real Rape": Assessing the Effects of Rape Culture-Specific Suspect Culpability Factors on the Police Decision to Arrest.

Police are considered "gatekeepers" of the criminal-legal system because their decisions significantly impact case outcomes. Using rape culture as our theoretical framework, we examine rape culture-specific factors that influence police arrest decisions in sexual assault cases reported to Los Angeles police. Importantly, extant research using this approach has overwhelmingly focused on indicators of "genuine victims," and few studies have assessed rape culture-specific indicators of in sexual assault case processing.

To Report or Not to Report? A Focal Concerns Analysis of Victim Reporting Decisions Following Victimization.

Sexual assault (SA) decision-making literature primarily focuses on criminal-legal actors and often overlooks victim decision making. This relative dearth in research is problematic, as victims are principal gatekeepers of the criminal-legal process who influence whether perpetrators are arrested and prosecuted. Subsequent victim support is also contingent on the reporting decision.

Differences in Nonresponse Bias and Victimization Reports Across Self-Administered Web-Based and Paper-and-Pencil Versions of a Campus Climate Survey.

Using a standardized campus climate survey that was disseminated across three modes of administration ( = 5,137), this study assesses the nonresponse bias of two web-based versions to a self-administered paper-and-pencil version conducted at a Southeastern 4-year university. Significant differences emerged across all three modes of administration and victimization measures (bullying, sexual assault, rape, emotional abuse, and intimate partner violence [IPV]). Respondents were more likely to report victimization in the web-based surveys administered to online-only classes and via mass email compared to the paper survey.

"Most [False Reports] Involve Teens": Officer Attitudes Toward Teenage Sexual Assault Complainants-A Qualitative Analysis.

Scholars, advocates, and victims have repeatedly criticized the police treatment of sexual assault (SA) complainants. Apathetic attitudes and hostile behavior on the part of the police have likely resulted from socialization into a culture that condones the use of force and violence and blames SA victims for their victimization. Using data from in-depth semistructured interviews with 52 Los Angeles Police Department sex crimes detectives, we examine officer attitudes toward teenage complainants of SA.

The effects of individual- and national-level factors on attitudes toward child maltreatment.

Knowledge is lacking regarding the extent to which national norms and policies designed to protect minors influence individual attitudes toward child maltreatment. Relying on the tenets of cultural sociology, we examine whether the orientation of a nation influences individual attitudes toward child maltreatment. Specifically, nations with greater economic and political stability tolerate more self-expressive values, focusing on individual autonomy and enhancing quality of life.

When the Perpetrator Is a Partner: Arrest and Charging Decisions in Intimate Partner Sexual Assault Cases-A Focal Concerns Analysis.

Law enforcement officials and prosecutors have been called "gatekeepers" of the criminal justice system, as their discretionary decisions determine case outcomes. Using the focal concerns perspective as our theoretical foundation, we explore the factors that influence arrest and charging decisions in intimate partner sexual assaults (IPSA) reported to Los Angeles law enforcement in 2008. Quantitative findings are supplemented with qualitative examples from Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) detectives interviewed in 2010 and charge evaluation sheets from complaints referred to Los Angeles prosecution in 2008.

The Sexual Stratification Hypothesis: Is the Decision to Arrest Influenced by the Victim/Suspect Racial/Ethnic Dyad?

The sexual stratification hypothesis suggests that criminal justice responses to sexual victimization will differ depending on the victim/suspect racial/ethnic dyad. Previous research examining the sexual stratification hypothesis has primarily focused on court processes, and the small body of literature examining arrest decisions is dated. There remains substantial opportunity for testing the sexual stratification hypothesis at response stages apart from the court level (i.

Intersections of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender: Reframing Knowledge Surrounding Barriers to Social Services Among Latina Intimate Partner Violence Victims.

Using an intersectional framework, this article discusses the barriers to social services that Latina victims of intimate partner violence encounter, a drastically underdeveloped area of theorizing. We argue that placing Latinas at the center of analysis will facilitate empirical knowledge, which is necessary because mainstream inquiry has historically ignored their interests. First, we discuss cultural barriers through the lenses of gender, race, and ethnicity.

Prosecuting Intimate Partner Sexual Assault: Legal and Extra-Legal Factors That Influence Charging Decisions.

Prosecutors play a crucial role in determining whether persons who are accused of intimate partner sexual assault (IPSA) will be sanctioned by the criminal justice system. Prosecutors have unconditional discretion at the initial charging stage because a case rejection decision is typically immune to review. Using qualitative data from 47 IPSA complaints that were referred to Los Angeles County or City prosecution in 2008, this study examines the factors that influence charging decisions.

Condom use during sexual assault.

This study examines questions about forced unprotected sex. Study objectives include assessing the prevalence of condom use in sexual assault and improving our understanding of the correlates of condom use in sexual assault. We analyze 841 sexual assault complaints reported to three law enforcement agencies.