Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Program
Criminal Justice and Criminology
Date of Award
5-2003
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
David W. Holleran III
Committee Members
John T. Whitehead, Marian H. Whitson
Abstract
Research has shown that both legal and extra-legal factors are used by the prosecutor in a sexual assault case when making the decision to file charges in the case. However, no study on sexual assault prosecutorial discretion, at this time, has examined the effect of prior consensual sex between the victim and the offender and the affect that it has on the prosecutor’s decision to file charges. Using data from a National Institute of Justice Study on sexual assault case processing, this study tests whether evidence of prior consensual sex between the victim and the offender plays a role in the prosecutor’s decision to file charges in sexual assault cases. This study also examines the effect of the interaction between extra-legal factors and prior consensual sex between the victim and the offender.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Hollifield, Kimberly Brooke, "The Effect of Prior Consensual Sex between the Victim and the Offender on the Prosecutor's Decision to File Charges in Sexual Assault Cases." (2003). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 756. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/756
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.