This commentary responds to claims that research by Cheryl Thomas ‘shows’ no problem with rape myths in English and Welsh juries. We critique the claim on the basis of ambiguous survey design, a false distinction between ‘real’ jurors and other research participants, the conflation of attitudes in relation to abstract versus applied rape myths, and misleading interpretation of the data. Ultimately, we call for a balanced appraisal of individual studies by contextualising them against the wider literature.
Adler, Z. (1987) Rape on Trial, London: Routledge.
Baruch, Y. and Holtom, B.C. (2008) Survey response rate levels and trends in organizational research, Human Relations, 61(8): 1139–60. doi: 10.1177/0018726708094863
Chalmers, J. and Leverick, F. (2016) How should we go about jury research in Scotland?, Criminal Law Review, 2016(10): 697–713.
Chalmers, J., Leverick, F. and Munro, V.E. (2021) Why the jury is, and should still be, out on rape deliberation, Criminal Law Review, 2021(9): 753–71.
Conaghan, J. and Russell, Y. (2014) Rape myths, law, and feminist research: myths about myths?, Feminist Legal Studies, 22(1): 25–48. doi: 10.1007/s10691-014-9259-z
Cook, C., Heath, F. and Thompson, R.L. (2000) A Meta-analysis of response rates in web- or internet-based surveys, Educational and Psychological Measurement, 60(6): 821–36. doi: 10.1177/00131640021970934
Daly, E. (2021) Court Observations in England and Wales: An Intersectional Analysis, PhD Thesis, Cambridge: Anglia Ruskin University.
De Vries, R.G. (2004) How can we help? From ‘sociology in’ to ‘sociology of’ bioethics, Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics, 32(2): 279–92. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-720X.2004.tb00475.x
Dinos, S., Burrowes, N., Hammond, K. and Cunliffe, C. (2015) A systematic review of juries’ assessment of rape victims: do rape myths impact on juror decision-making?, International Journal of Law, Crime and Justice, 43(1): 36–49. doi: 10.1016/j.ijlcj.2014.07.001
Ellison, L. and Munro, V.E. (2010) Getting to (not) guilty: examining jurors’ deliberative processes in, and beyond, the context of a mock rape trial, Legal Studies, 30(1): 74–97. doi: 10.1111/j.1748-121X.2009.00141.x
Field, C., Archer, V. and Bowman, J. (2019) Twenty years in prison: reflections on conducting research in correctional environments, The Prison Journal, 99(2): 135–49. doi: 10.1177/0032885519825489
Fisher, J.A. (2013) Expanding the frame of ‘voluntariness’ in informed consent: structural coercion and the power of social and economic context, Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal, 23(4): 355–79. doi: 10.1353/ken.2013.0018
Höhne, J. and Krebs, D. (2018) Scale direction effects in agree/disagree and item-specific questions: a comparison of question formats, International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 21(1): 91–103.
Holleman, G.A., Hooge, I.T., Kemner, C. and Hessels, R.S. (2020) The ‘real-world approach’ and its problems: a critique of the term ecological validity, Frontiers in Psychology, 2020(11): 721–32. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00721
Jann, B., Krumpal, I and Wolter, F. (2019) Social desirability bias in surveys: collecting and analyzing sensitive data, Journal for Quantitative Methods and Survey Methodology, 13(1): 3–7.
Johns, R. (2005) One size doesn′t fit all: selecting response scales for attitude items, Journal of Elections, Public Opinion and Parties, 15(2): 237–64. doi: 10.1080/13689880500178849
Johns, R. (2010) Likert items and scales, Survey Question Bank: Methods Fact Sheet, 1(March): 1–11.
Krumpal, I. (2013) Determinants of social desirability bias in sensitive surveys: a literature review, Quality & Quantity, 47(4): 2025–47.
Lees, S. (1996) Carnal Knowledge: Rape on Trial, London: Women’s Press.
Leverick, F. (2020) What do we know about rape myths and juror decision making?, The International Journal of Evidence and Proof, 24(3): 255–79. doi: 10.1177/1365712720923157
Lonsway, K.A. and Fitzgerald, L. (1994) Rape myths, Psychology of Women Quarterly, 18(2): 133–64. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-6402.1994.tb00448.x
Lüke, T. and Grosche, M. (2018) What do I think about inclusive education? It depends on who is asking. Experimental evidence for a social desirability bias in attitudes towards inclusion, International Journal of Inclusive Education, 22(1): 38–53.
McMahon, S. and Farmer, L.G. (2011) An updated measure for assessing subtle rape myths, Social Work Research, 35(2): 71–81. doi: 10.1093/swr/35.2.71
Munro, V.E. (2019) Judging juries: the common-sense conundrums of prosecuting violence against women, New Zealand Women’s Law Journal, 2019(3): 13–34.
Page, A. (2010) True colors: police officers and rape myth acceptance, Feminist Criminology, 5(4): 315–34. doi: 10.1177/1557085110384108
Queensland Law Reform Commission (2020) Review of Consent Laws and the Excuse of Mistake of Fact, Report No 78, Brisbane: Queensland Law Reform Commission.
Roberts, L. and Indermaur, D. (2008) The ethics of research with prisoner, Current Issues in Criminal Justice, 19(3): 309–26. doi: 10.1080/10345329.2008.12036436
Rogelberg, S.G. and Stanton, J.M. (2007) Understanding and dealing with organizational survey nonresponse, Organizational Research Methods, 10(2): 195–209. doi: 10.1177/1094428106294693
Rozenberg, J. (2020) Belief by juries in rape myths is a myth according to the only researcher who has asked the jurors themselves, A Lawyer Writes, 27 November, https://rozenberg.substack.com/p/belief-by-juries-in-rape-myths-is.
Shaw, J., Campbell, R., Cain, D. and Feeney, H. (2017) Beyond surveys and scales: how rape myths manifest in sexual assault police records, Psychology of Violence, 7(4): 602–14. doi: 10.1037/vio0000072
Smith, O. (2018) Rape Trials in England and Wales: Observing Justice and Rethinking Rape Myths, Cham: Springer Palgrave.
Smith, O., Daly, E., Herriott, C. and Willmott, D. (2021) State compensation as rape justice: are public attitudes a legitimate foundation for reform of the UK’s criminal injuries compensation scheme?, Journal of Gender Based Violence. doi: 10.1332/239868020X16057277095797
Summan, K. (2020) New research finds jurors do not subscribe to rape myths and casts doubt on mock jury studies, Scottish Legal News, 1 December, https://www.scottishlegal.com/article/new-research-finds-jurors-do-not-subscribe-to-rape-myths-and-casts-doubt-on-mock-jury-studies.
Temkin, J., Gray, J.M. and Barrett, J. (2018) Different functions of rape myth use in court: Findings from a trial observation study, Feminist Criminology, 13(2): 205–26. doi: 10.1177/1557085116661627
Thiara, R. and Roy, S. (2020) Reclaiming Voice: Minoritised Women and Sexual Violence, London: Imkaan.
Thielo, A.J., Cullen, F.T., Cohen, D.M. and Chouhy, C. (2016) Rehabilitation in a red state: public support for correctional reform in texas, Criminology and Public Policy, 15(1): 137–70. doi: 10.1111/1745-9133.12182
Thomas, C. (2020) The 21st century jury: contempt, bias and the impact of jury service, Criminal Law Review, 2020(11): 987–1011.
Venema, R.M. (2018) Police officers’ rape myth acceptance: examining the role of officer characteristics, estimates of false reporting, and social desirability bias, Violence and Victims, 33(1): 176–200.
Webster, K., Diemer, K., Honey, N., Mannix, S., Mickle, J., Morgan, J., Parkes, A., Politoff, V., Powell, A., Stubbs, J. and Ward, A. (2018) Australians’ Attitudes to Violence Against Women and Gender Equality. Findings from the 2017 National Community Attitudes Towards Violence against Women Survey, Research report, 03/2018, Sydney, NSW: Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety [ANROWS].
Winship, C. and Mare, R.D. (1992) Models for sample selection bias, Annual Review of Sociology, 18(1): 327–50. doi: 10.1146/annurev.so.18.080192.001551
Zidenberg, A.M., Wielinga, F., Sparks, B., Margeotes, K. and Harkins, L. (2021) Lost in translation: a quantitative and qualitative comparison of rape myth acceptance, Psychology, Crime & Law, doi: 10.1080/1068316X.2021.1905810.
May 2022 onwards | Past Year | Past 30 Days | |
---|---|---|---|
Abstract Views | 3112 | 818 | 100 |
Full Text Views | 1639 | 598 | 5 |
PDF Downloads | 992 | 173 | 4 |
Institutional librarians can find more information about free trials here