The Victim of Rape: Institutional Reactions - Hardcover

Holmstrom, Lynda L.; Burgess, Ann W.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0471407852 ISBN 13: 9780471407850

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, 1978

Synopsis

This unprecedented in-depth account of how our major institutions respond to the crime of rape is the first empirical study of rape victims in the United States as they come into contact with those who staff our police stations, hospitals, and courthouses. As this engrossing study makes clear, rape does not end with the assailant's departure; the profound suffering of the victim can be diminished or heightened by the response of these institutions.

The authors provide direct, on-the-scene reports of how rape victims confront and endure the often devastating effects of institutional processing. Their work is based on first-hand observations, personal interviews, and case histories that document the rape victim's plight, and includes tables that present all research findings in easy-to-grasp numerical terms. The authors note changes now taking place, and argue that further institutional changes must be made to delegitimize rape in our society.

The new introductory essay locates The Victim of Rape within the context of four lines of research: studies looking at the criminal justice system processing of such cases, the connection of rape to everyday life, social-structural and ideological support for rape, and strategies for prevention.

About this title

About the Author:

Lynda Lytle Holmstrom is professor of sociology at Boston College. She is author of The Two Career Family and co-author, with Ann Burgess, of numerous publications on sexual assault. 

Ann Wolbert Burgess is associate director of nursing research for the department of health and hospitals, the city of Boston. She has chaired the Rape Prevention and Control Advisory Committee of Health and Human Services and co-founded, with Lynda Holmstrom, the Victim Counseling Program at Boston City Hospital.

Review:

“[This] book is based on empirical work that began in 1972. The work, an important contribution to the sociological study of rape and, more generally, to the field of victimology, presents the results of the authors’ participant-observer study of reporting rape victims as they interacted with various institutional systems that handle the aftermath of the crime of rape. . . . [The] reprinting of The Victim of Rape provides the field of rape research with a benchmark against which to measure progress since 1972 and a tool for mapping future research agendas. . . . [This] work has continued value for informing institutional personnel of areas in which their practice may be improved. The analysis provides a framework for evaluating current institutional response to rape victims and assessing the impact of reform efforts in criminal justice, medical, and mental health systems.”

—Judith L. Musick, Contemporary Sociology

“A provocative book. . . . excellent supplementary reading for courses in social problems, medical sociology, sociology of law and social institutions.”

—Sociology

"The Victim of Rape provides a model for future research on the underside of human encounters with legal and social service agencies."

—Honorable Mention, 1978 C. Wright Mills Award

About this edition

• Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
• Publication date: 1978
• ISBN 10: 0471407852
• ISBN 13: 9780471407850
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 306