Gemma Clarke

Gonville and Caius College

Drug-facilitated sexual assault in England and Wales

New questions about sexuality, intoxication and criminal responsibility are emerging as increasingly significant in contemporary British life.  The British Crime Survey 2005/2006 estimates nearly half of all violent offenders (44%) were under the influence of alcohol and over one third (34.5%) of adults have used illegal drugs in their lifetime.  Furthermore, numerous police and crown prosecution service reports - such as The Review of Rape Investigations in the MPS (2005), Operation Matisse (2006) and Without Consent (2007) – have highlighted the role of drugs and alcohol in sexual assault.   This research utilises a multi-method approach to explore drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) in England and Wales, examining the role of both drugs and alcohol in sexual offences.  Previous police research studies have attempted to measure the extent of drug-rape (Operation Matisse, 2006; Sturman, 2000); however, to date there has been no in-depth academic analysis.  This study is based on four core research methods: in-depth interviews; a systematic review of the literature; a micro-ecological model; and a comparative study of criminal justice responses in the US.  The study follows two key research problems: firstly, to better understand and define the characteristics of DFSA, including how drugs and alcohol are used strategically by offenders; and secondly, to examine the provision of services for complainants of drug-facilitated assault.

Start Date: 2006/10.

Education

PhD (candidate) at the Institute of Criminology, Gonville and Caius College, University of Cambridge, 2006- to date

MPhil Criminological Research, Institute of Criminology, Gonville and Caius College, University of Cambridge, 2005 –2006

MSc with Merit, Gender Research, London School of Economics, University of London, 2004-2005

BA (Hons) First Class, Sociology and Gender Studies, University of Warwick, 2001-2004

 

CV / Awards / Fellowships

ESRC +3 postgraduate funding award (Oct 2006- Sept 2009)

Lecturer and Seminar Assistant – Oxbridge Academic Teacher Seminar, Summer 2006 and 2007

Researchers in Residence, teaching programme 2007/2008

British Research Council Fellow at the Library of Congress, Washington D.C. 2008 under the ESRC/AHRC Scholarship Scheme

Criminal justice

Gender and crime

Sexual offences

Drug and alcohol related crime

Dr. Loraine Gelsthorpe