Howard's First Black Female Chemistry Instructure gets six figure grant to research rape investigation methods

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

https://atlantablackstar.com/2016/12/05 ... n-methods/

Given how rarely rapists are ever brought to trial, and how hard it is to get a research grant this size, this is spectacular news!

[Mecha82]

Well this is nice surprise. I hope she succeeds in her research.

[Madner Kami]

Given how rarely rapists are ever brought to trial [...]

Curious for your source for this. I had a look and I choose... RAINN statistics, because I'm certain you'll not attack that source:







So let's make this a bit more readable:

Type of Offense | Reported | Arrest | Prosecuted | Convicted | Incarcerated
Sexual Assault | 230 | 20% | 19.5% | 55% | 92%
Robbery | 619 | 26.9% | 22.2% | 59.5% | 90.9%
Assault/Battery | 627 | 40.6% | 41.2% | 39% | 80%

I'm not convinced of your assertion. All the more made funny by the fact, that you are actually the most likely to get convicted by comitting sexual assault, out of the three.

I'm sure you'll draw attention to the same thing the linked article tried to draw attention to, namely that only so few cases of sexual assault are allegedly reported, in order to create it's "only 995 out of 1000 sexual assaults lead to conviction". If you do, you are a clown. If you don't, I will be surprised. Including these lines here for posteriority, in order to say: "Called it!"

[Steve]

Huh? Unless the percentages you cited are incorrect, Robbery has the highest conviction rate at 59.5% to Sexual Assault's 55%. Sexual Assault's highest number is incarceration, by about 1.1% over Robbery, which I'd hope to be true.

And when you factor in the lower reporting, arrest, and prosecution rates, it's even worse, since those rates being lower means you're more likely to see someone guilty of sexual assault go free than for those other two crimes. It's why the 230 reported ends up in a mere 5 convictions, a rate of one conviction per 46 reports. Robbery ends up being about one conviction per 28 reports and Assault/Battery is a little over one conviction per 15 reports.

Now on how often they get brought to trial, if we assume a case going to prosecutors means it goes to trial (which doesn't always happen, IIRC, prosecutors have discretion to not file charges), we get one trial out of 25 reports (closer to 25.5) on sexual assault, one trial per every 16.7 reports on robbery, and the rate for assault/battery is just shy of one trial out of six reports. And to reiterate, a referral to prosecutors doesn't necessarily lead to a trial.

In other words, by these statistics, you are more likely to end up on trial or convicted if you commit robbery or assault/battery than if you sexually assault someone.

Your statement is true in the sense that once on trial you're more likely to get convicted of sexual assault than the other crimes (1.8 convictions per trial, it's 1.6 per trial for robbery and just shy of .4 convictions per trial on assault). But given the much lower numbers on the other figures it does nothing to alleviate the fact someone's more likely to get away with sexual assault.

[clearspira]

''Improved rape investigation methods'' always seems to translate to ''lets find a way around innocent until proven guilty'' in my experience.

[Darth Wedgius]

While some on the left want to lower standards of evidence for rape, or to weaken the innocent until proven guilty standard, this doesn't seem to be one of those situations. It sounds like she's working on areas where perpetrators try to cover up DNA evidence, and she has qualifications in that area. Good luck to her!

It appears from the RAINN statistics that, out of those reported, about 2% of sexual assaulters will be convicted, vs. 3% of robbers and 5% of assault & batterers. Those all seem fairly in line with each other. Taking into account that rape cases will sometimes hinge upon the state of mind of the people involved where it's literally one person's word against another, I can't say I'm surprised. A lot of people consent to have sex, but few consent to have their places broken into and their property taken, or to be seriously injured.

[Fuzzy Necromancer]

''Improved rape investigation methods'' always seems to translate to ''lets find a way around innocent until proven guilty'' in my experience.

Just what experience is this you are referring to? Please, elaborate.

[clearspira]

''Improved rape investigation methods'' always seems to translate to ''lets find a way around innocent until proven guilty'' in my experience.

Just what experience is this you are referring to? Please, elaborate.

The experience of listening to these people.

[Worffan101]

Figure about a third tops of women and effectively no men who are raped report it. About 3/4 to 9/10 of rape victims are women, we think (esp. since female predators operate effectively free from law enforcement threats), so yeah, between a bit less than to a bit more than a quarter of rapes will be reported.

Figure a fifth of those lead to an arrest. Maybe a tenth of those lead to a conviction, and not a plea bargain or getting off for lack of evidence.

Yup. Not good numbers.

[Madner Kami]

Counting not-reported sexual assaults. Treating that number like a somehow existing and flawless figure. How do you count something that is not reported. That you literally have no numbers about. I choose RAINN for a purpose and I called it. Geezus fucking christ people...