Sexual assault: The role of prior relationship and victim characteristics in case processing

Using a sample of 467 sexual assault cases, this study analyzes the role of prior relationship and "negative" victim characteristics in accounting for case outcomes from prosecutorial intake to final disposition. Neither of these variables played a role in either the decision to prosecute,...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Justice quarterly 1999-06, Vol.16 (2), p.275-302
Main Authors: Kingsnorth, Rodney F., MacIntosh, Randall C., Wentworth, Jennifer
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
California
Criminal justice
Criminology
Judicial Decisions
Legal Cases
Plea Bargaining
Punishment
Sentencing
Sex crimes
Sexual Assault
Sociodemographic Characteristics
Victim Offender Relations
Victims
Victims of crime
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Using a sample of 467 sexual assault cases, this study analyzes the role of prior relationship and "negative" victim characteristics in accounting for case outcomes from prosecutorial intake to final disposition. Neither of these variables played a role in either the decision to prosecute, the decision to go to trial rather than resolve by guilty plea, trial outcomes, or punishment severity as indicated by a prison (versus nonprison) term. Both variables, however, were significant in determining sentence length. When selection bias and relevant legal factors were controlled, the existence of a prior relationship reduced sentence length by 35 months; each additional negative victim characteristic reduced the period of incarceration by 17 months.
ISSN:0741-8825
1745-9109
DOI:10.1080/07418829900094141