Foci

This series of seminars will address emerging areas of concern, specifically: drug-assisted rape, including the role of alcohol; consent and the Sexual Offences Act; and false allegations. The seminars will have three major foci: Methodology; Concepts and Models and Practice Application.

1.      Methodology

Previous research has investigated rape using a number of techniques depending on which aspects of rape are being researched, for example: vignettes, mock juries, questionnaires, interviews, secondary analysis, trial observations, service evaluation and case tracking. There are pros and cons attached to these relating to reliability and generalisability of data. It is not often that any form of data triangulation is employed.  There can be particular difficulties with seeking to engage rape survivors in research, for example, gaining access, particularly where this is mediated by gatekeepers, and ensuring ethical concerns and matters of confidentiality and anonymity are adequately addressed, as well as issues surrounding the researcher’s role in relation to a range of potential participants (e.g. victims, police officers, prosecutors). The seminars will review approaches to research investigations and evaluate them. Recommendations for future research and developing ethical research protocols will be made based on this analysis.

2.      Concepts and models

A wide variety of conceptual approaches have been used, for example, counterfactuals, decision-making, heuristics, social identity theory and feminist perspectives. The members of the seminar group have considerable expertise across these theoretical domains and the seminars will provide an opportunity for the sharing of ideas, approaches and examining their explanatory power and indicating the overlap and differences between them.

3.      Practice application.

A criticism that is often made of academic research is that it has very little application in the ‘real world for practitioners’. These seminars will focus on identifying ways research can be translated, made accessible and disseminated for use by practitioners. Furthermore the practical implications for the seminar foci of aspects of the new Sexual Offences Act 2003 will be assessed and debated. Feedback on these discussions will be sought from practitioners.

Outcomes

A library of resources will be created, which will be made available to group members and other interested parties;

A virtual community will be set up via a web site so that the discussion of these topics can continue outside of the seminars;

A workshop with practitioners will be organised in order that ideas can be shared and the group can receive feedback from those working on the frontline;

In order to stimulate and structure discussion in the meetings in advance of them the organisers will circulate an article or presentation outline linked to the topic to be addressed;

Discussion papers will be produced, based on seminar proceedings, and made available through the web site after each meeting with the longer term aim that they and other articles produced by group members on the topic will be developed further for potential publication as a book.

This seminar series will provide a unique opportunity to discuss the issues surrounding rape, consent and the role of alcohol at a time when they are at the forefront of society’s consciousness as demonstrated by the daily media coverage of these issues. Furthermore the academic backgrounds of the members of the seminar group; Psychologists, Lawyers, Criminologists and Sociologists as well as their cultural backgrounds; British, German, Greek and Dutch will provide many different perspectives and the opportunity to bring them all together.

The seminar series is funded by The British Psychological Society.