Law Enforcement Officers’ Perception of Rape and Rape Victims: A Multimethod Study

By Annelise Mennicke, MSW Delaney Anderson, MSW Karen Oehme, JD Stephanie Kennedy, MSW

Rape and sexual violence are alarmingly common in our society, demanding a focused and coordinated response among researchers, the justice system, and health and social service providers. According to the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network (RAINN; n.d.), a sexual assault occurs every two minutes in the United States, totaling to 207,754 victims of rape and sexual assault each year. Using these inci- dence rates, RAINN estimates that one out of every six women will be raped during her lifetime (RAINN, n.d.). Victims of rape commonly experience a wide range of physical and emotional effects, including posttraumatic stress disorder, substance abuse, depres- sion, anxiety, sleep disorders, eating disorders, and many other negative and long-lasting consequences (RAINN, n.d.).

Springer Publishing Company, 2014, 15p.