Sexual Violence: Policies, Practices, and Challenges in the United States and Canada

Landmark reforms have been adopted in recent years in the U.S. and Canada to change the response of key institutions to the crime of rape and the treatment of sexual assault victims. Drawing on the latest research, this collection of 14 original papers assesses the impact of these recent reforms on policies and practices in the criminal justice and health systems. The contributors are prominent scholars and practitioners from the fields of sociology, criminal justice, law, counseling, anthropology, biology and psychology.

Chapter topics include: The measurement of rape, by Debra S. Kelley; A case study of "cyber rape," by Livy A. Visano; Sexual assault against prisoners, by Charles Crawford; Rape law reform, by Frances P. Bernat; Canadian rape law reforms, by Margaret Denike; The use of expert psychological testimony in sexual assault court cases, by Gianneta Del Bove and Lana Stermac; Re-conceptualizing sexual assault as a social change process, by K. Edward Renner; Law enforcement's response to sexual assault, by Vivian B. Lord and Gary Rassel; Policing sexual violence, by James F. Hodgson; The role of sexual assault treatment programs in communities, by Elizabethann O'Sullivan; "Megan's Law" in California, by Suzette Cote; and "Megan's Law" and sex offender registration, by Robert E. Freeman-Longo.