Blaming the victim and exonerating the perpetrator in cases of rape and robbery is there a double standard?
- Research in legal decision making has demonstrated the tendency to blame the victim and exonerate the perpetrator of sexual assault. This study examined the hypothesis of a special leniency bias in rape cases by comparing them to cases of robbery. N = 288 participants received descriptions of rape and robbery of a female victim by a male perpetrator and made ratings of victim and perpetrator blame. Case scenarios varied with respect to the prior relationship (strangers, acquaintances, ex-partners) and coercive strategy (force vs. exploiting victim intoxication). More blame was attributed to the victim and less blame was attributed to the perpetrator for rape than for robbery. Information about a prior relationship between victim and perpetrator increased ratings of victim blame and decreased perceptions of perpetrator blame in the rape cases, but not in the robbery cases. The findings support the notion of a special leniency bias in sexual assault cases.
Author details: | Steffen Bieneck, Barbara KrahéORCiDGND |
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DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260510372945 |
ISSN: | 0886-2605 |
Title of parent work (English): | Journal of interpersonal violence : concerned with the study and treatment of victims and perpetrators of physical and sexual violence |
Publisher: | Sage Publ. |
Place of publishing: | Thousand Oaks |
Publication type: | Article |
Language: | English |
Year of first publication: | 2011 |
Publication year: | 2011 |
Release date: | 2017/03/26 |
Tag: | criminology; leniency bias; rape; robbery; victim blame |
Volume: | 26 |
Issue: | 9 |
Number of pages: | 13 |
First page: | 1785 |
Last Page: | 1797 |
Organizational units: | Humanwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Strukturbereich Kognitionswissenschaften / Department Psychologie |
Peer review: | Referiert |
Institution name at the time of the publication: | Humanwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Psychologie |