Addressing Rape Reform in Law and Practice

A very important contribution to an even more important debate: What happened to the rape reform movement? What went wrong, what went right, and why does it seem like we did so much and accomplished so much less? Anyone seeking to answer these questions-and many of us should try-will find Susan Caringella's careful and thoughtful analysis a must-read starting point in a reinvigorated effort to address the continuing challenges posed by the reality of rape and the difficulties encountered in the efforts of the criminal justice system to address it. -- Susan Estrich, Robert Kingsley Professor of Law and Political Science, University of Southern California, and author of Real Rape and the Case for Hillary Clinton No other book offers such a new way of thinking about rape reform. Susan Caringella is well known for producing scholarly work that meets the highest disciplinary standards, and her latest offering is yet another important contribution to understanding one of North America's most compelling social problems. Most important, Caringella offers a progressive but pragmatic rape reform model that addresses broader patriarchal forces while simultaneously being 'more viable' and 'more palatable.' This book not only offers a new way of thinking about an ongoing problem, but also has the potential to improve societal reactions to the pain and suffering caused by a brutal form of abuse. -- Walter S. DeKeseredy, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, and coauthor of Sexual Assault on the College Campus: The Role of Male Peer Support Every now and then, a person reads a book and comes away feeling like something big is going to happen. I am stunned by the careful, painstaking research that went into this work as well as the reflective thought that took place. Caringella strikes just the right balance between scholarship and education. This book proposes a much-needed legislative and social change. Feminist activists and academics must read it. -- Claire M. Renzetti, University of Dayton, and editor of Violence Against Women: An International, Interdisciplinary Journal

The first comprehensive book on rape since Susan Brownmiller's Against Our Will and Susan Estrich's Real Rape, this volume probes every aspect of rape law and the discrepancies between ideal law (on the books) and real law (in action). Susan Caringella canvasses the success and failure of reform in the United States, as well as Australia, Britain, Canada, and New Zealand, and assesses alternative perspectives on rape reform, making use of theoretical models, court cases and statistical data. She uniquely delineates a creative model for change while addressing the discretion that undermines efforts at change. This includes charging the accused and plea bargaining, confronting a lack of transparency and accountability in implementing law, and acquiring funding for such changes.