[Trigger warning.]
"Somehow all we can do is take the statement from the victim. Take the statement from the alleged perpetrator and then throw up our hands because they are saying conflicting things. That's not how we investigate other crimes. ... Predators look for vulnerable people and they prey on vulnerable people. And if, as a criminal justice system, we're going to essentially turn from any victim who was drinking or any victim who was in some way vulnerable, we're essentially giving a free pass to sexual predators."—Psychologist David Lisak from the University of Massachusetts, who "has spent twenty years studying the minds of rapists."
[From a CBS News article about their five-month investigation which found that "a staggering number of rape kits aren't tested." It's an article that would be significantly improved if it didn't include a fucking stock photo of a sexual assault "artistically" done in black and white. Christ.]
Dr. Lisak, by the way, appears to be the best ally to and advocate for survivors of sexual assault that I've never heard of. In the past hour, I've found this rape fact sheet [pdf] that he prepared containing a metric fuckton of good information, multiple presentations (pdf) and papers (pdf), a submission to an anthology on "Confronting Rape and Sexual Assault," and an unflinching critique of "Male Gender Socialization and the Perpetuation of Sexual Abuse." This is a man who knows how to work a goddamned teaspoon. Thanks, Dr. Lisak.
[H/T to Shaker JJ.]
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