Return to Document Top
from VCCA Journal, Volume 8, Number 1, Summer 1993, 24-29
© Copyright 1993 VCCA Journal
Rape can happen to anyone. Every fourth person in the United States is a potential rape victim. (Federal Bureau of Investigation). Many reported rapes occur between individuals who know one another, while others are rape situations between strangers. A rape can take place in any kind of setting. Rape can occur on a date, at a party, at home, in your car, going to and from your car in a parking lot, or on your college campus. Acquaintance rapes occur between individuals who are known to each other. However, the stranger-precipitated rapist tends to focus on vulnerable individuals who appear to the rapist as being frightened or easily intimidated, or who are unaware of their surroundings. They provide easy targets for the experienced rapist in that these individuals appear to be readily surprised and can be easily overtaken.
Rapists come in all shapes and sizes, and it is impossible to predict who among us is a rapist offender. It is also hard to determine which of us will be a victim of a rape by one of these perpetrators. No one feels susceptible to rape situations, but the likelihood of being a victim is one in four. No one can control an individual who will be a rapist; however, it is possible to control the odds of an individual being a victim. Those of us who work on community college campuses are very susceptible to being rape victims, and there are numerous measures that can be implemented to increase self awareness and reduce the risk of becoming a victim of rape.
Community colleges, by nature, are made up of a transitory population and do not provide living accommodations to their students. They have open door policies, and are centralized places in the community for the gathering of individuals for both academic and social reasons. It is imperative that those of us who are in a community college system both advocate and practice awareness procedures and risk reduction tactics for alleviating the possibility of being a rape victim.
Every individual on a community college campus must be alert to the environment around them. Administrators, teachers, and students alike must be aware of their personal safety and their vulnerability to those who may not be law-abiding citizens. Everyone must be on their guard; the best plan is one of proactive protection in order to effectively take steps to lower the probability of rape actually occurring. Everyone must think. Everyone must be aware of their environment and the people around them. Everyone must be alert at all times.
All of our community colleges have large and numerous parking lots. It would be most helpful if these lots had sufficient lighting so that anyone needing help could be seen in a precarious situation. Parking lots on campuses should be free from obstructions. Trees and shrubs should be cut so that paths and byways can be utilized without the fear of someone hiding in a clump of trees or a group of bushes. People should lock their vehicles.
In addition to locking a car, always try to park in a well-lighted area. Be sure to check the inside of your car before it is unlocked. (Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Criminal Justice Services). Be aware that individuals have been known to crawl under a vehicle and grab victims by the ankles. If this happens, you will fall to the ground, and you will be an easy target to be victimized. If someone approaches you on foot while you're in your vehicle, do not roll the window completely down. Remember, if there is a decision between them and you, you may decide to drive around, through, or over them. Always keep your doors locked while driving so that no one will enter your vehicle unwanted.
When inside buildings on campus, always lock your office. When you leave a building late at night, whether an administrator, teacher or student, always get a colleague to walk with you. As a teacher, when a night class is dismissed, encourage individuals to walk in pairs or with one another, and do the same thing yourself. Before you leave the building, prepare yourself. Get your car keys out, have your personal effects organized, put on appropriate footwear if necessary, have a flashlight on your key ring to unlock your door more easily, and carry a whistle or something that can be used to attract help (Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Criminal Justice Services).
Lastly, one of the easiest things one can do to reduce the risk of being a rape victim is to communicate. If you do not feel comfortable with an individual, talk to other personnel members about that person. Be on the look-out for one another. Realize that talking to co-workers about students' individual behaviors may reduce the risk of an unwanted attack. Always refer a student to a colleague if you are not comfortable talking with that student. If a student appears to be making inappropriate advances towards you, a fellow student, or anyone with whom you work, try to rectify the situation before you find yourself in a cat and mouse game where you are no longer in control.
It is impossible to alleviate all opportunities that a persistent rapist may have to victimize an individual. However, although there is never any guarantee against an attack, merely increasing awareness and reducing risks is a step in the right direction. Because of the different types of rapists that exist, and because of the different opinions and instructions on what one should do if rape is imminent, there is no way to present a blueprint that would be infallible for each rape situation. What works with one rapist may be what turns another rapist on. No one can tell you to explain to the attacker that you have V.D. or AIDS. No one can tell you to pretend to faint. No one can tell you whether to fight or not. Fighting some rapists will stop their attacks, while others will be stimulated by the attack. Only you can determine the actions you will take if an attack occurs, and your main objective is to survive. However, arming yourself with good information about rape and an awareness of the types of individuals who tend to be rapists, you can better avoid being a target of such a violent assault.
A Definition of Rape
Rape is defined as having sexual intercourse with a person, generally a female, against his or her will with the use of force or the threat of force. (Wrobleski and Hess 115). It is usually considered the most serious crime after murder and carries with it heavy penalties. In the past, rape was considered as a type of deviance. This is no longer an acceptable label for this kind of behavior, and rape is now considered a violent, personal, assaultive type of criminal behavior.
There are four main elements that constitute rape as a crime in the United States (Wrobleski and Hess, 1986, p.116). First, rape is an act of sexual intercourse. This intercourse must involve penetration, and any degree of penetration of the vagina by the penis or an inanimate object is sufficient to constitute sexual intercourse. Actual emission of semen is not required. Second, although many states have revised their laws to include rape as a forcible sex act committed by and on both males and females, the definition of rape as occurring with a female other than a wife is still used in the successful prosecution of rape cases. Third, rape is committed without the victim's consent. If consent has been given voluntarily by an adult in a sexual relationship, then rape is not a consideration. However, any kind of consent given because of mental impairment, emotional retardation or disturbance, fear, panic, or drug induced moods, is not considered to be true consent. Lastly, rape occurs against the victim's will and is accomplished by force. This element of the crime of rape is usually the most difficult to prove and is the one most subject to attack by the defense.
A differentiation should be made between forcible rape, statutory rape, aggravated rape, simple rape, and date rape. Forcible rape is sexual intercourse against a person's will by use or threat of force. Statutory rape is sexual intercourse with a minor, with or without voluntary consent, due to the designated age of majority (Bennett and Hess 349). Aggravated rape involves using force, threats or immediate use of force, or rape that occurs when someone is either unconscious, mentally impaired, or unable or incapable of fending off a rape attacker. Simple rape merely involves the offender misleading the victim about the nature of the act that is being performed. This would include having intercourse under the guise of a medical examination, or the offender knowingly destroying the victim's will to resist by using drugs, alcohol, or other intoxicants (Wrobleski and Hess 115). Date rape is considered to be sexual intercourse that occurs when two adults are in a social, dating relationship and sexual intercourse occurs without mutual consent.
Types of Rape Offenders
Ascertaining how a rapist operates can prove to be invaluable if we find ourselves in the position of being a rape victim. The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Virginia State Police have separate behavioral science units that deal with psychological profiling of suspected rapists. It is imperative that each victim of a rape be interviewed thoroughly about the rapist's behavior. An analysis of the behavior will help to establish the underlying motivation of the rape itself, and this is extremely important. Behavioral information can assist police in identifying the individual likely to have committed this violent sexual and personal offense.
Much can be gleaned about rapists by studying their methods of approach. The three different approaches that rapists use have been described as the con approach, the blitz approach, and the surprise approach. The con approach occurs when the offender dupes the victim into sexual intercourse. The offender in this instance is generally very friendly, charming, well-mannered, and easy-going. The victim is unknowing until the actual act of rape has begun. The blitz approach occurs when the offender is very direct and physically assaultive. These offenders assault their victims, and generally blindfold or bind them in some way, rendering them helpless. The surprise approach occurs when the offender jumps out from behind a building, hides in the back seats of cars, or waits until the victim is sleeping peacefully in bed; the rapist waits for the victim to be in a vulnerable position before instituting the attack (Bennett and Hess 355).
Another key to understanding rape offenders is knowing how control is maintained by rapists once they have approached their victims. It is also necessary to determine how much physical force, if any, is used during the execution of the rape. If control is maintained by the mere presence of the offender, physical force is usually kept to a minimum. For example, the offender in control of the situation might only slap the victim. If verbal threats are used to maintain control of the situation, moderate physical force might be used, probably by hitting the victim repeatedly while using words of profanity. In situations where control is maintained by displaying a weapon, excessive force might involve lacerating the victim with the weapon or bruising or beating the victim. In cases where extreme physical force is used, brutal and sadistic torture might be used on the victim in order to better subject the victim to the demands of the rapist. Regardless of the amount of control used by the rapist, a key to the offender's identity is left behind. (Bennett and Hess 356).
Power and anger are the two main ingredients in a rape. Very often, rapists do not receive any sort of sexual excitation from the rape itself; the sexual excitation comes from trapping the victim, perhaps from beating of the victim, and from the cat and mouse game played by the offender prior to the rape.
In the United States, approximately forty-four percent of all the rapes that occur are committed by power assertive rapists. Thirty percent of all rapes are committed by individuals who are classified as anger retaliation rapists. Power reassurance rapists constitute twenty-one percent, and the most dangerous rapist, the anger excitation rapist, commits smallest number, five percent, of all rapes. The power type rapists usually either need to confirm and establish their own authority, or are unable to feel powerful in any other way except in conquering someone else. The anger type rapists are those who are mad and wish to get back at someone in retaliation, or merely get excited and sexually aroused from being mean and angry during a sexual activity (Lavinder).
There are two main categories of power rapists. The power assertive rapist is the rapist who needs to assert his manhood. He is very much concerned with his macho persona, and is usually the one who exhibits psychopathic personality traits. He rapes less frequently but is much more violent. He normally conducts a con or a blitz approach, and can also be a date rapist. He often attacks in the early evening hours away from his home and might have a flashy car. The power reassurance rapist fantasizes that he is on a date while he is pursuing and violating his rape victim. This individual captures his victim, uses minimal force, and is very meticulous in pre-selecting his victims. This rapist is completely sexually unselfish, and will normally gain confidence as he progresses through different stages of the rape in order to make his psyche feel better. This type of rapist attacks in the early morning hours and may have a victim as often as every seven days. He is also the individual who will keep a souvenir of the rape. (Lavinder).
The anger retaliatory rapist is the individual who rapes spontaneously. Some woman in his life has treated him wrongfully, and any female could represent that individual, causing him to react in a violent and abusive manner toward the victim during the rape. This individual will rape fairly sporadically. He will rape an individual in a short period of time, may attack at any time of the day or night, and is generally using or abusing alcohol or other drugs.
His counterpart, and the most dangerous of all rapists, is the anger excitation rapist. This rapist is the most serious problem for all of us. This individual must be in total control during the rape and will inflict as much physical pain and torture on his victims as is possible. He is sadistic in nature. This individual will plan and execute his rape over several days, and may keep his victim alive merely to enhance his sexual pleasure by abusing and torturing the victim. This individual is known for choking victims to the point of death, and then bringing them back to a conscious state in order to kill them later. This gives the individual great satisfaction because he has the power to control life and death. The sexual excitement gained from this type of rapist is the kill, not the rape (Lavinder).
Conclusion
Any type of sexual assault is repulsive and alarming to most citizens. Rape is probably the most frightening type of assaultive behavior that one can imagine. It is a misnomer to assume that rape is a sexual crime motivated by desire. It is a violent crime, an act of hostility, and it involves sexual intercourse with a victim who is an unwilling participant. A police officer may not be around when you need one, but you can police yourself and your own immediate environment to reduce the chance of being a rape statistic.
Works Cited
Bennett, W. W., and Hess, K. M. Criminal Investigation. 3rd ed. St. Paul: West, 1991.
Commonwealth of Virginia, Department of Criminal Justice Services. Sexual Assault: How to Recognize It: How to Prevent It Richmond, VA: 1989.
Federal Bureau of Investigation. Uniform Crime Reports. Washington, D. C.: 1991.
Lavinder, Ray, "Rape and Rapists," Administration of Justice Club Rape Presentation. Virginia. Dabney S. Lancaster Community College, 18 February 1990.
Wrobleski, H. M., and Hess, K. M. Introduction to Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice. 3rd ed. St. Paul: West, 1986.
Renee Douglas Banks is the Program Head for the Administration of Justice Program at Dabney S. Lancaster Community College in Clifton Forge, Virginia.
Thomas C. Colangelo, Jr., is Assistant Professor of Police Science at Virginia Highlands Community College in Abingdon, Virginia.