SELF Magazine: "The date-rape ‘doctor’ they could not convict"

November 21, 2008 |
Valor

Self magazine profiled the case of serial rapist Jeffrey Marsalis, in an article released today. The reporter highlighted the difficulty in prosecuting and convicting offenders in date rape trials and discussed results from a study of jury trials in rape cases. Some highlights from the study include:

Until now, it’s been impossible to know exactly how many of these cases collapse in court, because no prosecution data was being collected. But the research and training group End Violence Against Women International in Addy, Washington, just completed a four-year study across eight states and has allowed SELF an exclusive early look at its conclusions. Of all the rape cases that come across prosecutors’ desks, stranger-rape cases have the best courtroom odds, with 68 percent ending with a conviction or guilty plea.
But when a woman knows her assailant briefly (less than 24 hours), a mere 43 percent of cases end in a conviction. When they know each other longer than 24 hours, the conviction rate falls to 35 percent. Even fewer, 29 percent, of intimate partners and exes are punished. “And keep in mind, the cases that come through the prosecutor’s door are the strongest ones — strong enough for the police to have referred them along in the first place,” notes EVAW International research director Kimberly Lonsway, Ph.D.

Click here to read the complete article.