Rape in NYC in the Last Ten Years - Research Paper Example

Rape in New York for the Past Ten Years Introduction Rape in the New York remained not prosecuted until recently when the law was enacted to criminalize it. There were few cases of prosecution from accusations of rape due to the bias of the prosecution team towards the accessed a move that denied the victim justice (Rumney, 2006). The former law on rape had several weaknesses that considered the victim of rape a standing alone, provide evidence of resistance from the rape and disclose the sexual life in the past in the court of law (Rumney, 2006). The law also provided that any act of rape against a wife married to the accused was not considered as a form of rape. This research will identify the rape cases in the New York City in the past ten years. The study will also review empirical studies that examine the rape cases in New York from the evidence based study. The study will identify cases of rape in the past ten years, drawing attention to the trend of rape in those ten years. It will also include a methodology for the study that will indicate methods of data collection used, the determination of the samples and type of methodology applied in the collection of data. Research Question In order to accomplish the objectives of the research, it is important to identify the research question to guide the research in analyzing the objective of the study and avoid digression. The research question for this study is: What is the prevalence rate for rape in the New York City for the past one decade? Hypothesis For the researcher to test whether the objective has been achieved or not, the following hypothesis is used: H1: The rate of rape cases in New York City has increased over the past ten years H0: The rate of rape cases in New York City has dropped for the past years. Literature Review The literature review will consider previous studies that have been carried out about the prevalence of rape cases in the New York. The study carried out by Katrina & Gayla (2009) who carried an empirical study on rape treatment is crucial in the study regarding rape cases in New York. The article was published on July 2009 by the Clin Psychol Rev. The study sought to identify the empirical evidence available on the study on treatment regarding women who are sexually assaulted in their adolescence or adulthood life. The data for this study was collected from thirty two articles that were identified for this research involving twenty separate samples. Of the twenty samples used, 12 samples were targeting females who had experienced chronic symptoms of rape. In addition, there were three articles that targeted acute period of post-assault, two samples from women who had experienced chronic and acute symptoms with the last three samples comprising secondary prevention programs for sexual assault. The questions asked regarded post rape experiences, prosecuting and reports to the court justice system for prosecuting of the perpetrators and prevention of rape. The research used a descriptive technique that evaluated the prevalence of rape and circumstances that accelerated the high commonness of rape in the United States. Another study by Corey (2015) that was published in 2015 by Psychology, Public Policy, and Law that carried out an empirical study on sexual assault in the universities is crucial in this study. The study analyzed the data that was submitted by universities regarding cases of rape in the institutions that was being audited for the Clery Act violations. To test the validity of the data collected, the Corey (2015) evaluated that when there was a high frequency of sexual assaults in the university during the period of strict scrutiny by the auditing team, the research would have concluded that universities failed in determining the actual cases of sexual assault in the institutions. From the empirical research, it was identified that the rate of rape in the universities increased by 44% during the period of the audit. There were two main sources of data for this research that were Clery Act crime statistics and the documents that contained the detailed report on DoE audits of the universities. From the crime data, the collected data was limited to the period between 2001 and 2012. In addition, it was limited to 4-year schools with an average of 10,000 students who were accommodated in the university premises through the year established in the on-campus housing program. It excluded students who were commuting and those who were registered in their online programs. The study was testing a singular hypothesis. To ensure that the data collected was valid and accurate, the study sought to collect data in three timeframs before, during and after the audit program. The analytical technique was used in the analysis to determine the prevalence of rape cases in the universities. This is a crucial study in criminology to determine the prevalence rate of rape in a ten year period. The research recommends that universities and colleges should enhance measures to protect and follow up on rape cases in the institutions. The other research was carried out by Sarah (2007) is critical in this study as it identifies the rape avoidance measures that have been suggested. The research was published in 2007 by Criminal Justice and Behavior and evaluated the rape avoidance measures for the period of the past 10 years. In addition, it analyzes ways that can continue to promote rape avoidance measures that are essential for rape avoidance as measures for secondary prevention. The resistance strategiesfor rape are reviewed creating awareness of the prevention measures. The research collected existing literature on self defense strategies and rape prevention training effective during the study period. The questions asked in this study were based on the prevention strategies and factors that predisposes one to rape. This creates awareness of the self techniques that prevent one from cases of rape. The study reviewed findings from a number of empirical studies such as research by Macy et al (2006) that utilized data from 212 college women. The review is helpful in analyzing rape prevalence and prevention methods applicable in the American society. Explanatory approach was utilized throughout the research in identifying prevention and self defense techniques that prevent one from cases of rape. The research used a survey experiment in the determination of the cases of rape, prevention strategies and self defense training programs for the women. The study concludes that cases of rape have increased where the study found that drug and substance abuse as the main cause of rape cases. It recommends self defense programs as the most effective way to create a rape resistance attitude. Data and Methodology The nature of the research in rape cases in New York require an indepth analysis on the factors that influence the perpetrators to commit rape, susceptibility of the victims and the possible intervention measures for rape. Therefore, qualitative analysis is critical in this study where interviews are the most effective data collection and analysis techniques that should be applied in this research (Weng & Ding, 2013). Since the research analyzes an unknown research question, the most effective way to ensure that all data has been captured in this study is qualitative method. It ensures that deep information on rape cases in the New York are established and a critical intervention measure recommended. The study will utilize the interview as the primary data collection method to ensure that victims and perpetrators of rape are identified and interviewed on the different experiences that occurred before, during and after rape case. The study will collect data from 12 victims and 12 perpetrators who either pleaded guilty or accepted to have committed a sexual assault. Since interviews require an indepth analysis, a large sample would be inappropriate for this study, hence a medium sized sample size for this study(Wayne & Stuart, 2004). In addition, the interviews will need critical analysis of every respondents claim and arguments in drawing conclusions(Kothari, 2004). The data to be collected for this research will arise from the interviews where the victims will be questioned about events that took place before and after the rape to understand the suffering they experienced. On the perpetrators’ side, the research will identify the possible factors that would lead them to commit a rape case taking into account that it has been criminalized in the New York and the measurements for being guilty of rape being tightened against the perpetrators. Contribution to Literature The research carried out in this study is critical for both the perpetrators and victims of rape not only in the New York City, but also in other regions where rape is prevalent. The study creates awareness on prevention measures, self defense interventions and other critical prevention techniques that are essential in the prevention of rape or rape resistance. The research does not only seem important to criminology specialists, but also important to other professionals such as psychologists, behavioral analysis, lawyers and other law enforcement agencies against rape. The main purpose of this study is to create awareness about the prevalence of rape cases in New York for prevention and intervention measures. Understanding the rape case prevalence will also be critical in behavioral intervention for men with criminal minds of committing the acts. References Corey, R. Y. (2015). Concealing Campus Sexual Assault: An Empirical Examination. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 1-9. Katrina, A. V., & Gayla, M. (2009 ). Rape Treatment Outcome Research: Empirical Findings and State of the Literature. Clin Psychol Rev, 431–448 doi:10.1016/j.cpr.2009.04.004. Kothari, C. R., (2004). Research Methodology: Methods and Techniques. 2nd ed. New Delhi: New Age International. Rumney, P. (2006). False allegations of rape. The Cambridge Law Journal , 125 -158. Sarah, E. U. (2007). A 10-Year Update of "Review and Critique of Empirical Studies of Rape Avoidance". Criminal Justice and Behavior, 411-429: DOI: 10.1177/0093854806297117. Wayne, G. & Stuart, M., (2004). Research Methodology: An Introduction. 1st ed. Lansdowne: Juta and Company Ltd,. Weng , . M. L. & Ding , . T. H., (2013). Research Methodology: A Toolkit of Sampling and Data Analysis Techniques for Quantitative Research. 2nd ed. Norderstedt: GRIN Verlag. Read More