Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Unintended Side Effects of Increased DNA Capabilities

University Of California-Irvine, Irvine CA

Investigators

Abstract

Forensic DNA analysis has provided swift justice in countless crimes and has proven particularly useful in identifying rapists. Because forensic DNA evidence is especially useful for the investigation of sexual crimes, the development of the new technology has undoubtedly facilitated the prosecution of sexual assaults. Less noticed, however, has been the possibility that unanticipated consequences of the increasing availability of forensic DNA technology may, at the same time, inadvertently discourage the prosecution of sexual assaults, especially in cases of non-stranger/acquaintance rape. The increased likelihood of convictions in rape cases where identity is the issue may shift prosecutorial attention, resources and even enthusiasm towards the prosecution of stranger rather than non-stranger/ acquaintance rape cases. This could potentially retard or even reverse the progress made by the feminist and anti-rape movements of the 1960s and 70s to recognize and prosecute non-stranger/acquaintance rape. This is a study of the social impact of technology on the prosecution of sexual assault cases. A longitudinal analysis of alleged cases of adult rape brought before a U.S. County Attorney's Office over a 14-year time period will help to determine if there are unintended consequences of technology on a crime whose definition is historically malleable and which is, in part, dependent on social stereotypes and commonly held notions of gender appropriate behavior. In addition, in-depth interviews with individuals involved in the legal system's response to rape claims, both in the participant county and the surrounding area will complement the quantitative analysis of rape prosecutions. The researchers seek to measure the impact of technological innovation on the ongoing social construction of the social problem of non-stranger/acquaintance rape.