Date Rape Portrait

Sexual assault and the Massachusetts Department of Public works with local rape crisis centers to gather statistical data so we can assess and know the facts and realities of rape in Massachusetts. While statistics do not tell the whole story of sexual assault, they can help us paint a picture of the problem. The forensic nurse has an integral part of this specific population’s victimization. A forensic nurse should have a basic knowledge of the type of offender the rapist can be. As a certified sexual assault investigator for Middlesex County I have investigated, collected evidence, arrested, testified and successfully aided in the prosecution and conviction of rapists. I will explore the definition of rape and criminal statutes related to the crime of rape, rape trauma syndrome, and some of the drugs a perpetrator uses to assist in commission of this crime and how the FN and the police share a different but equal role in prosecuting the offender.

In 2002, 2003, and 2004, Andrew Luster was convicted of dosing three women with a date rape drug known as GHB (Gamma Hydroxybutyric Acid). The first accuser was a twenty-one year old college student, the second a seventeen year old, and the third accuser has been in a relationship with Luster until she found out that he raped her the first night they met. He was found guilty and is charged with rape, oral copulation, sodomy, a fight to avoid prosecution, and was sentenced to fifty years in jail with one million dollar bail (Wikipedia).

“Feminism has not prepared them for this,” states Camille Paglia in her essay “Rape: A Bigger Danger than Feminists Know.” The “them” in Paglia’s statement is referring to women, and she is discussing the topic of date rape. Susan Jacoby, on the other hand, writes in her article “Common Decency,” that feminism is not responsible for the rising cases of date rape, but that it is the men who are at fault. Paglia’s argument is insightful and accurate, but Jacoby’s writing is flawed and not well-researched. Paglia includes all rhetorical appeals and persuasive techniques, while Jacoby lacks in some departments of persuasiveness and fills the gap with logical fallacies. Comparing both of these papers will help the reader see why

 Date rape is a forcible sexual intercourse by an acquaintance, where one resists sexual advances either verbally or physically. The perpetrator of this crime varies from boyfriends to casual acquaintances. The Centers for Disease Control reported that eight out of ten rape or sexual-assault cases were carried out by people of these relationship statuses. Sometimes rapists claim they are given given mixed signals, or even misread simple flirtation as a woman’s sexual advance. In any situation, a woman is not

According to the Los Angles College Consortium (n.d.) there are effects associated with alcohol use they include that the use of alcohol is a factor in most college rapes, alcohol is considered the number one date rape drug, and there is an increase in the likelihood of sexual assault among acquaintance during social interactions. Drug-facilitated sexual assault is defined as “unwanted sexual contact or intercourse that occurs when the victim is too intoxicated or high from alcohol and/or a drug given to her without her consent or against her wishes” (Lawyer et al, 2010, p. 454). Other drug-facilitated sexual assaults include GHB, Rohypnol, ketamine, and Soma (Los Angeles College Consortium, n.d.). These drugs render victims unconscious and they tend to have little or no memory of what happened (Los Angeles College Consortium, n.d). Examples include the following heavy alcohol use was found to predict later sexual assault in a sample of 274 college women, sexual assault were nine times higher on days when a woman reported heavy drinking than days where no alcohol was consumed, and approximately one third to one half of victims report drinking at the time of the assault (Kaysen, Neighbors, Martell, Fossos, & Larimer, 2006). Cases of drug facilitated sexual assault tend to fall through the cracks in the criminal justice system according

For twelve weeks Blurred Lines was at the top of the Billboard 100 charts and could be heard thumping from speakers everywhere. Sung by Robin Thicke and featuring prominent rappers T.I. Harris and Pharrell, this track was proclaimed the anthem for summer 2013 . At the surface the song is seemingly harmless with a cheery rhythmic beat and catchy lyrics, but when examining the song and accompanying music video, Blurred Lines is anything but harmless. Dubbed “that rape song” by many discerning listeners, Blurred Lines is a song about the blurred lines of consent. With gems such as “You’re an animal, just let me liberate you” and “I’ll give you somethin’ big enough to tear yo ass in two” featured throughout the song it is astonishing how

Crimes have been occurring throughout history since the beginning of time, criminal mishaps extend back to Cain murdering his brother Abel. However, over time new crimes more severe than murder have come about that have ripped the moral fabric of an individual’s whole being. Date rape, a topic that has been widely discussed in America has been occurring more and more frequently. Many individuals know little others know infinite amounts on the topic, yet there are still many misconceptions about the topic. In America date rape has become a growing epidemic on the rise, affecting men and women, causing physical damage, intense emotional effects, death and long-lasting effects on victims.

The drug used was a common depressant known as GHB. Once the women were unconscious they were assaulted and photographed, Korn, one of the detectives said “the pictures” were “revolting and explicit”; and one of the 10 women (who shall remain nameless) stated that “some of the women were being assaulted when had awoken”, much longer after being drugged. During the investigation, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention intervened and stated that the drug was responsible for 69 cases of poisoning in NY and Texas; breathing problems and seizures; and a case in GA with a woman going into a coma after being given GHB. The second drug, “Rohyphnol, also known as “roofies” or “rophies”, has recently become a popular drug in the last five years or so, and usually pops up on the party, club or bar scene. Rohypnol is illegal in the United States but is prescribed as a sleeping sedative in other countries such as Europe and Latin America, and is smuggled into U.S. territory. The reason for the popular demand drug is because its low- costing. Rohyphnol is usually sold at a price of $5.00 or less per tablet and effectiveness creates a “dramatic” high almost

Everybody at some point in their lives partied a little to hard, whether it was one night or multiple nights. Sometimes partying too hard has a consequence to it. One main occurring problem has been Date Rape. The biggest problem with date rape is the mental aspect of it. This is a huge problem because this causes the victims to have a long term effect. Many victims are told it was their fault, and eventually they start to believe it. This causes the victims to shut people out, become enclose in their private space, and sometimes suicidal thoughts may occur. It's very important for our society to not continue to minimalize date rape.

The Centers for Disease control reports that one out of every five women will be sexually assaulted or raped during their lifetime with most victims being girls or younger women. According to RAINN, the Rape, Abuse, Incest National Network (https://www.rainn.org) which calls itself “the nation 's largest anti-sexual assault organization,” nine out of ten rape victims are women and there are more than 237,000 victims of sexual assault in the U.S. every year, with a reporting rate of only 40 percent. Eighty percent of victims are under 30. Two-thirds of all the reported assaults are by someone known to the victim and only 3 percent of rapists get any jail time. The effects of rape are long lasting and have public health and social welfare consequences. According to RAINN, victims of sexual assault have higher rates of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and drug and alcohol abuse than the general population. Rape is a personal issue because of the trauma it induces in its

In 2012 twenty-five percent of women reported having been sexually assaulted due to a date rape drug. Over the past ten years the amount of date rape rapes have risen tremendously. Many women are uneducated on the effects of drug related rapes, some do not even aware about how common the use is. While there is a rise in the use of the drugs people are still unaware of the terrible side effects of the drugs. Rohypnol is one of the most commonly used date rape drugs providing sedations so the perpetrator has an easier time to assault his victim.

There are three main drugs used in date rape, which include Rohypnol, Gamma-Hydroxybutyerate, and Ketamine. Rohypnol is a sedative with ten times the potency of Valium. They come in pill form, which is white and round. Anybody could buy this drug on the street for fewer than five dollars. The effects of this drug include drowsiness, dizziness, slurred speech, amnesia, muscle relaxation, loss of control, and gastrointestinal disturbances that can last up to twelve or more hours. Street names for this drug include Roofies, which is most commonly used, Rib, Roach-2, Roopies, Rope, R-2, Circles, La Roche, or Mexican Valium. This drug leaves the body without a trace after so many hours after ingesting it. Another drug used for date rape is Gamma-Hydroxybutyerate. This drug is a central nervous depressant that is a clear liquid with a metallic smell. It can also come in a white powder. This drug can be sold for five dollars just for one capful. The effects of this drug has many of the same effects as alcohol such as nausea, headache, vomiting, drowsiness, slurred speech, dizziness, reduced breathing and heart rate, and involuntary muscle spasms. GHB completely

Sexual assault and rape has always been a social and public issue in the United States. A majority of the time, women become the victims, while men become the perpetrators. National surveys in the United States show that one in six women has experienced an attempted or completed rape. Consent appears to be a critical factor in determining whether assault or rape has taken place. Women have a higher chance of being raped by who they are acquainted with rather than strangers.

In the fall of 1995, Kristin Cooper was a sophomore at Baker University in Kansas. She was a member of Alpha Chi Omega, an expert skier from the mountains of Colorado, a swimmer, and was active in band, choir and drama.

“He said he loved me”, “I woke up without any clothes on, I couldn’t remember”, “I thought we were friends”. These are just some of the phrases that a lot of rape victims have reiterated. Women that have long been taken advantage of for men’s sexual pleasure, it is the same in every country, not just in the Philippines. Women have been fighting all throughout their history to gain equality, to rise from oppression, to release themselves from male domination, that fight is still ongoing. There is a quotation from the bible taken from genesis II lines 21-23; “And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh thereof. And the rib which the Lord