Document Type
Article
Publication Date
3-1-2015
Abstract
The American military is in a well-publicized struggle to address its sexual assault problem. Critics say that those in the military who run the military justice system have a bias against the victims in these cases, where that bias is likely related to some form of sexism.
This article explores that problem and offers a social psychology explanation that supports the critics' position. This article explains the cognitive process that people use to solve these legal problems and then highlights a serious flaw in that process – the use of inaccurate rape schemas. This article focuses on two potential groups that tend to process rape problems using these schemas and uses data from to other studies to show that those two groups are overrepresented in the military. This article also shows that these inaccurate rape schemas are further amplified in the military context.
From that, it appears that the critics appear to be right. Those in the military who are responsible for solving the rape problem have a cognitive blind spot which prevents them from seeing the problem for what it is.
Recommended Citation
Eric R. Carpenter,
The Military's Sexual Assault Blind Spot
, 21 Wash. & Lee J. Civ. Rts. & Soc. Just. 383
(2015).
Available at: https://ecollections.law.fiu.edu/faculty_publications/96
