Does perpetrator intoxication during a campus sexual assault influence perceptions of risk and sanction recommendations?

Abstract

Past studies show that alcohol-intoxicated perpetrators are seen as less blameworthy for their actions (Stormo et al., 1997) and that drug consumption does not diminish perceptions of blame to the same extent as alcohol consumption (Angelone et al., 2007). The present study examines whether the intoxication of perpetrators of campus sexual assault influences the perceptions of the campus community in terms of the perpetrator’s risk to reoffend and what would be deemed appropriate sanctions. It was hypothesized that perpetrators under the influence of alcohol or ecstasy would be perceived as less likely to reoffend and assigned less severe sanctions than those who are sober. In this study, members of the university community (i.e., students, staff, faculty) were recruited as participants and were presented with one of three vignettes of a campus sexual assault (respondent was either sober, drunk/alcohol, or high/ecstasy). Participants rated the perpetrator’s likelihood to commit another offense and the appropriateness of assigning specific sanctions to the perpetrator. It was found that, contrary to the first hypothesis, perpetrator intoxication did not influence perceptions of risk. The second hypothesis was only partially supported, as significant differences were only found for three of the eight sanctions: restorative justice, all on-campus activity restriction, and expulsion. The oral presentation will discuss and interpret these findings.

Faculty Mentor: Dr. Sandy Jung