Sexual Violence – the Future of Rape Trials

If you are studying criminology or law you’ll be interested in catching up with BBC Radio 4’s programme Rape Trials: is the Jury Out?

Broadcast on 30 August 2019 the programme discusses that despite the number of rape trials the number of convictions is low. The discussion focuses on the role of juries in rape trial cases and the unconscious bias jurors may have due to social myths concerning dating and consent.

The presenter Dr Nina Burrowes examines trials that have taken place with and without jurors. Dr Burrowes is a psychologist and a campaigner against sexual violence. Dr Dominic Wilmott explains about the research he has done which uncovers the myths and misconceptions  about rape.

In a related vein there’s also an interesting podcast I’d Rather Not Say (But for the Recording You Can Call Me Courtney) which is an episode from the series My Name Is…The episode looks at the issues related to a woman reporting rape to the police where the police needed to examine her phone for evidence. Without this examination the case could not move forward and the woman eventually decided to withhold her phone for fear of all of the information being used by defence lawyers. The episode discusses how the need to examine the evidence switches the complainant into the role of suspect.

If you’re looking for key statistics and resouces in criminology remember to look at our Criminology Useful Resources list.