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Taking the Stand Rape Survivors and the Prosecution of Rapists

Amanda Konradi

ISBN: 0-275-99718-9

ISBN-13: 978-0-275-99718-2

DOI:

240 pages

Praeger Publishers

Publication: 10/30/2007

List Price: $49.95 (UK Sterling Price: £34.95)

Availability: In Stock

Media Type: Hardcover

Also Available: Ebook

Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4

Subjects:

Reviews:

This unique book attempts to do several things at once: present research data with regard to rape survivors' satisfaction and problems with the prosecution of their rapes; honor the survivors' stories, giving air to certain experiences that have not been written about; create a guidebook for those who may go forward into the world of police, lawyers, judges, and juries; and offer suggestions regarding education, the criminal justice system, and rape experts....Every lawyer who works with rape victims should have a copy in his or her office. Rape survivors certainly need a guidebook for this complicated and difficult process....[t]herapists can use sections of the book to help guide their clients through the process as they go forward in their prosecution. This book will provide valuable insights for those interested in the analysis of discourse on rape and the cultural stereotypes of the rape victim.
—Psychology of Women Quarterly 6/30/1905

Description: Rape is one of the most under-reported crimes in the U.S., and yet it is one of the most vicious, devastating, and violent of all crimes. But getting justice for victims has not always been easy. Often the victim is criminalized, demonized, sexualized, or otherwise attacked for her own part in the rape. But over the years, laws have changed and prosecuting rapists has become more common. Taking the Stand describes the criminal prosecution of rapists from the perspective of the women who survived their violence and explores if, when, and how the criminal justice process can work for them. Walking through the various responses rape victims have had to the criminal justice process, Konradi's vivid analysis provides new information to help raped women decide whether and how they should participate in prosecution, to help friends and family assist them, and to improve criminal justice practice for crime victims generally.

Taking the Stand follows 47 rape survivors of varied ages and ethnicities, from the terror and trauma of rape through reporting to law enforcement, police investigation and indictment, hearings for probable cause and trials, plea bargaining, and sentencing. It focuses on women's experiences throughout the process and demonstrates how every experience is different. The problems that rape survivors face in the criminal justice process are not simply the result of the adversarial nature of court, defense tactics, or their own emotional reactions to violent sexual domination. Problems emerge from: (1) the social networks in which survivors are situated, (2) their variable access to emotional and financial resources, (3) their lack of knowledge about the formal and informal practices of courtrooms, (4) their lack of structural power in the criminal justice process, and (5) standard procedures employed by prosecutors and police. By recognizing individual differences in rape survivors, and their rape experiences, criminal justice personnel can better serve victims, and by understanding the layers of criminal investigation and prosecution, survivors and their families can play a more active role on their own terms in an effort to bring about justice. A rape survivor herself, Konradi exposes in the raw language of the victims the very sensitive nature of the topic and the personal obstacles survivors face. By addressing each stage of the criminal justice process, she makes it easier for those who seek justice to make decisions and choose behaviors that will positively affect their outcomes and their personal experiences with the system.

About the Author: Amanda Konradi is currently a visiting associate professor at Loyola College of Maryland. She has served on the editorial boards of Gender & Society and Teaching Sociology and reviews proposals for the Woodrow Wilson Foundation Women's Studies Dissertation Fellowship program. She has published three editions of Reading Between the Lines and professional articles in Gender & Society, Violence Against Women, Law & Social Inquiry, and American Journal of College Health. She has received awards for her teaching at the University of California - Santa Cruz and Ohio University.

PDF Catalogs:
Praeger Crime Catalog 2008.pdf	Praeger Public Library Spring 2008.pdf


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