Carnal Knowledge: Rape on Trial

In this title, Sue Lees explodes the myths about rape that permeate popular opinion, the press, and the legal system. Based on research involving victims’ accounts of their experiences, the analysis of police reporting practices, and the monitoring of Crown Court trials, Sue Lees describes the way women are encouraged to report rape only then to be intimidated by their assailants and see them walk free. She draws on survivors’ voices to describe how rapes occur and the characteristics of typical rapists. Citing reforms in other countries, she argues the case for further radical reforms to reverse the imbalances of the judicial process and to create a system that will provide justice for victims without jeopardizing the rights of defendants.