Unfinished Business in Rape Law Reform

Substantial and widespread changes in federal and state rape laws, designed to advance the concerns of feminists and law enforcement interests, have gone into effect over the past 15 years. Some researchers who have tried to assess the effects of these reforms believe the changes have thwarted feminist goals; others have found little impact on case processing or victims' experiences; still others have pronounced the reform efforts a success. There are many obstacles to measuring and achieving rape reform, the most notable being the need to eliminate juror misconceptions about rape and its victims. Contemporary research and law reform should focus on the trial process, especially on how rules of evidence and methods of constructing a rape case relate to social perceptions about gender, coercion, and sexuality.