NCJ Number
169471
Journal
EuroCriminology Volume: 11 Dated: (1997) Pages: 151-161
Date Published
1997
Length
11 pages
Annotation
To assess psychopathological and psychosocial dimensions of group rape, this analysis examined 90 penal cases randomly selected from Polish courts between 1978 and 1987.
Abstract
Cases were analyzed based on a specially prepared questionnaire adapted to electronic calculation techniques, and data were obtained on 93 victims. Analysis showed group rape was committed by 2 to 10 perpetrators. Dominating groups of rapists were composed of three or four persons. The average age of the group leader was 23.2 years, while the average age of other group members was 24.1 years. The educational level of rapists was low, and well over half of group leaders were characterized as troublemakers. Expert psychiatric tests showed rapists did not disclose psychopathological symptoms that could influence the questioning of their sanity during the commission of the crime. Group rape was usually committed in the home of one of the perpetrators, most often occurred between 4 p.m. and midnight, and involved alcohol in the majority of cases. The average age of the victim was 24.06 years, and most of the raped women were single. Primary motives of rapists involved aggression, hostility, and the desire to dominate women. 21 references and 5 tables