Abstract
One of the most controversial forms of crimes in modern day American society is rape and sexual assault. While these crimes are the major headlines in mass media, rape and/or sexual assault have been given very few examples of news coverage despite the rapid occurrence. In addition to the lack of coverage, society has also played a hand in the low discussion and reporting of rape and/or sexual assault. The most common reasoning for the lack of reporting can be linked to blaming the victim for the attack. This paper will discuss the current literature available on rape and/or sexual assault in terms of a criminal act while also incorporating information on the current statutes of victim blaming and its influence on judgement for cases of rape and/or sexual assault. From the literature review, the remainder of the paper will analyze the results of a survey looking at different scenarios that could have examples of ways to blame a victim for an attack versus the offender. Some of the possible influences include alcohol consumption by the victim, dress preferences, and relationships between the victim and the offender. After analyzing the data collected from the survey, the previous research and information will be tied to the results to provide further insight into the reporting problem of rape and/or sexual assault cases due to societal victim blaming.
