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Literature And Film : Crimes And Punishment : Literature & Film, True Crimes

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Date Rape

Tami B. Eikelboom
Arizona State University
MLS 598 Crimes & Punishment: Literature & Film, True Crimes
Professor Angela Giron

While rape among acquaintances has undoubtedly occurred for many centuries, the phenomenon now known as "date rape" was not named until 1982, when Mary Koss, a feminist and professor of family and community medicine at the University of Arizona reported the results of her study on a "new and unusual" type of sexual aggression which she termed "date rape" (5: 180). Although Koss ' study created a considerable stir among academics and feminists, the problem of date rape did not fully enter the public consciousness until the early 1990s, following the highly publicized William Kennedy Smith and Mike Tyson date rape cases. This paper examines the date rape phenomenon and the controversy surrounding it. After considering the definition and estimated prevalence of date rape, the analysis looks at the causes and mitigating factors involved in date rape. Included is an examination of some of the factors (e.g., gender, personal belief systems) involved in the attribution of responsibility for date rape. Rape is defined by statute in most states as penetration against consent by force or by threat of force. Many jurisdictions add the clause "or when the victim was incapacitated with alcohol or other drugs" to the criteria (6: 185). The legal definition of rape, as applicable when both victims and perpetrators are legal adults,

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