Higher Education: Dispelling Myths to More Effectively Respond to Campus Rape

AEquitasIn collaboration with Greet Dot , etc., Inc. and AEquitas, this web conference discusses how research shows the vast majority of sex offenders are non-stranger rapists and serial offenders. Non-stranger rapists rely on premeditated tactics and nontraditional weapons and are adept at creating, identifying, and manipulating perceived vulnerabilities in their victims. These offenders also benefit from common misconceptions and false expectations of offenders (e.g., appearance, behavior, use of weapons) that can result in failure to identify non-stranger rapists who do not meet these expectations. To more effectively identify, investigate, and prosecute non-stranger rapists on campus, prosecutors must overcome common myths and misconceptions about sexual violence, especially if judges and juries believe them. This presentation will provide a comprehensive overview of sex offenders with an emphasis on non-stranger rapists (e.g., motivations and characteristics, myths and misconceptions, serial and crossover offending) and focus on strategies for overcoming the unique challenges these offenders present on campus.

Click here to listen to the web conference – (Starts at 19:10 mark).