Two rapes reported last week; prosecution declined in both
A woman reported that she was raped by her boyfriend at her home on Edgewood Drive just after midnight Feb. 8.
Sgt. Matt Stevens of the Boone Police Department said that the woman did not want officers to start an investigation, collect evidence or take her to the hospital.
"Even initially, she said, 'Never mind, I don't want to talk with you,'" Stevens said.
The Watauga Democrat does not name victims or alleged victims of sexual assault.
Stevens said that the two have filed charges against each other in the past, and the alleged perpetrator had sought warrants Feb. 7 against the woman for making threatening phone calls.
"Coincidentally or not, she was calling to report this incident mere hours after those charges were taken on her," he said.
A second, unrelated rape was reported about 12 hours later on Feb. 8 at Scottish Inns on Blowing Rock Road, and the woman also declined prosecution in that instance. The alleged victim and perpetrator also knew each other in the second case.
So what have we learned from these two, unrelated rapes? That women do not proesctue rape? Even when they report it?
How often? Why?
Such context is not provided in the news. Instead, the local paper links two unrelated crimes, even while acknowledging that they are unrelated.
http://www2.wataugademocrat.com/story/Two_rapes_reported_last_week%3B_prosecution_declined_in_both_id_004784
I guess the media heavily relies on linkage, even though they know the events are unrelated, to try to push a story to see how the public reacts.
ReplyDeleteAgreed - the reality is stories like this are published nationwide and bear no significance. It is known that many crimes occur that are not reported to police and even reported crimes, such as rape, do not always result in charges. This could be due to an array of reasons. However, whether intended or not, the way this story was framed tells me that the first woman and her boyfriend obviously have an abusive relationship, which I would infer from the police stating they have filed charges against each other with physical undertones in the past, yet are still together. Her reporting a "rape" to the police seemed like an easy way to get back at her boyfriend for reporting her to the police. Perhaps when they made up or she realized filing charges would not be just a slap on his wrist, she declined to do so. That being said, there are many instances in which women do not report rape because they are fearful their lives would be in further danger. However, I do not believe that is the case here.
ReplyDeleteThe media also present the second alleged attack between two acquaintances at a hotel. While acquaintance rape is prevalent, and usually includes alcohol or other substances, it seems the victim decides not to press charges for a variety of reasons; to include, because they know the person well and do not want them to be in trouble, because they were intoxicated as well, or because they do not want to endure the judicial process. After first reading this story, I believed the article was written in order to call attention to a social problem; I questioned why the paper did not add Oasis or rape crisis information at the bottom of the story as I have seen in most media coverage. After calling attention to the fact that so many rapes are unreported, nothing of that was seen on the article to further remedy this problem. We have learned in criminal justice classes that women on juries are less likely to convict a male rapist against a female victim: this is because the woman puts herself in the victim's shoes and in her mind says "I wouldn't have put myself in that position" or "I would have known better." This article does nothing to alleviate the stereotype that women who are raped are somehow to blame or "got what they deserved."