Acquaintance rape is a crime like no other. Unlike burglary or embezzlement or any other felony, the victim often comes under more suspicion than the alleged perpetrator. This is especially true if the victim is sexually active, if she had been drinking prior to the assault--and if the man she accuses plays on a popular sports team. For a woman in this situation, the pain of being forced into sex against her will is only the beginning of her ordeal. If she decides to go to the police, undertrained officers sometimes ask if ...
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Acquaintance rape is a crime like no other. Unlike burglary or embezzlement or any other felony, the victim often comes under more suspicion than the alleged perpetrator. This is especially true if the victim is sexually active, if she had been drinking prior to the assault--and if the man she accuses plays on a popular sports team. For a woman in this situation, the pain of being forced into sex against her will is only the beginning of her ordeal. If she decides to go to the police, undertrained officers sometimes ask if she has a boyfriend, implying that she is covering up infidelity. She is told rape is extremely difficult to prove and repeatedly asked if she really wants to press charges. If she does want to charge her assailant, district attorneys frequently refuse to prosecute. If the assailant is indicted, even though a victim's name is supposed to be kept confidential, rumors start in the community and on social media, labeling her a slut, unbalanced, an attention-seeker. The vanishingly small but highly publicized incidents of false accusations are used to dismiss her claims in the press. If the case goes to trial, the woman's entire personal life often becomes fair game for the defense attorneys. This brutal reality goes a long way toward enplaning why acquaintance rape is the most underreported crime in America. In addition to physical trauma, its victims often suffer devastating psychological damage that leads to feelings of shame, emotional paralysis, and stigmatization. In Missoula, Krakauer chronicles the experiences of several women in Missoula--the nights when they were raped, their fear and self-doubt in the aftermath; the way they were treated by the police, prosecutors, defense attorneys; the public vilification and private anguish; their bravery in pushing forward and what it cost them.
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Add this copy of Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town to cart. $12.87, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2016 by Anchor Books.
Add this copy of Missoula: Rape and the Justice System in a College Town to cart. $20.97, new condition, Sold by Ingram Customer Returns Center rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from NV, USA, published 2015 by Doubleday Books.
He is an excellent writer and journalist, I've been riveted by all his books. In Missoula, he follows the cases of several women who were raped by fellow students. He describes the assaults (as told to him by the women) , and the aftermath: who chose to press charges, who didn't, and what happened after that. The almost hour by hour detail is suspenseful. His account was influenced by the sexual assault of a friend of his and he seems confused as to why people don't just ''believe the women''. Good point.......He wrote this before, and I read it after, the Rolling Stone UVA rape story was revealed to have not been fact checked and to have no evidence to support it. My reading of the book was influenced by that information. Still, an excellent book and if you haven't read his other ones, they are out there, in print , waiting for you!
