Practical Aspects of Rape Investigation

Less than half of all rapes believed to occur are reported to law enforcement, and of those assailants arrested even fewer are convicted of rape. This problem is now being addressed by all professions whose work brings them into contact with the victim or the offender.

This Third Edition of Practical Aspects of Rape Investigation: A Multidisciplinary Approach is just that: a multidisciplinary approach. It brings into focus the five different principals involved in rape investigation: the police investigator, the examining nurse, the forensic scientist, the crisis counselor, and the prosecutor. It demonstrates how each must work together for more effective handling of all kinds of sexual assault crimes.

Extensive reorganization of this new edition divides the book into four sections:

The victim. Look at rape and the contemporary issues of rape through the victim's perspective. This section also discusses Victim Care Services and the Comprehensive Sexual Assault Assessment Tool (CSAAT).


The investigation. Examine situations you might encounter during an investigation such as types of offenders, motivations, false allegations and false confessions, profiling the offender, child molestation, and the maligned investigator.


Forensics and court. Learn what constitutes physical evidence and how to recover it, trial preparation and trial tactic issues, and the forensic examination of sexual assault victims. Everything you need to prosecute a rape case successfully is presented in this section.


Special populations. The world of rape has its special offenders. Focus on some of them -- juvenile sexual offenders, female sexual offenders, gerophiles, serial rapists and sexual sadists. This section also includes information on sexual predators in nursing homes.

New areas of interest also include delayed reporting and mental retardation. Like both earlier editions, this third edition represents a major commitment by its authors to present the most current knowledge for the investigation and prosecution of rape cases.