Criminological Theories On Rape

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Rape Theories Man charged with the rape of 31 women in New York! Ever caught the headline of a crime that occurred and wondered how a person could possibly commit such a heinous act against another person? This is the job of a criminologist. To study crimes, criminals, victims, environmental and social factors, etc. in order to come up with theories and reasons as to why people commit acts against others (Brotherton). Criminology is not a new concept, but it is an evolving one. For this reason many theories have derived from sociologist and psychologist as to why crimes are committed, who commits them, and other the factors that played a role. Take for instance the crime rape. Rape is an unwanted sexual act performed upon another individual by force, deception or while under the influence of a substance. While most rape victims are known to be women, this crime has been expanded to include rape against a man or a person of the same sex. Rape is not an easy concept to deal with, nor is dealing with a rapist. For the purpose of this paper, rape will be explained by three theories, biological, psychological and rational choice theory, all of which criminologist have deemed are fitting of the crime. Biological theory is the concept that focuses on certain biological characteristics that are thought to be associated with an increased risk of engaging in criminal or deviant behavior (Bernard, Snipes & Gerould, 2010). Early biological theories tended to focus on the physical appearance as a distinguishing trait of criminals, whereas modern theories primarily argue that biology is one of many factors that contribute toward criminal behavior (Bernard, Snipes & Gerould, 2010). Early rape theorist included that of Johan Lavater, Fran’s... ... middle of paper ... ...riminology.php Cook, M. (2006). Categorising Rapists Understanding the different types of perpetrator and their crimes. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from http://valen1971.webs.com/Assessments/Categorising%20Rapists.pdf GET THE FACTS. (2007). Rape crisis center of medina and summit counties. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from http://www.rccmsc.org/resources/get-the-facts.aspx Jewkes, R. (2012) Rape Perpetration: A review. Pretoria, Sexual Violence Research Initiative. Retrieved April 21, 2014 , from http://www.svri.org/RapePerpetration.pdf Profiling A Rapist. (n.d.). Profile of the Rapist As An Ordinary Man. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from http://budokan.wcart.net/WomenSelfDefense/RapistProfile.htm Statistics . (n.d.). Statistics | RAINN | Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. Retrieved April 21, 2014, from http://www.rainn.org/statistics?gclid=CJT7sb3b8L0CFY0-MgodBz0Avg

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