Rape Perpetrators on Trial: The Impact of Sexual Assault-Related Schemas on Blame

What is it about?

Research has shown that jurors are influenced by schemas in cases of alleged sexual assault, such as victim stereotypicality and offense stereotypicality. However, although there are numerous studies demonstrating the impact of defendant stereotypes on juror perceptions of guilt for other crimes, to date, the impact of stereotypes about defendants (perpetrators) in cases involving sexual violence have been overlooked. This study aimed to build on the existing work by examining the influence of perpetrator stereotypes on perceptions of blame.

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Why is it important?

Our findings suggest that contrary to previous research, there is not a series of specific, individual stereotypes that impact attributions of blame, rather, there may be one underlying schema about consent that influences perceptions. These findings have important implications for how we address the effect of juror-held schemas on attributions of blame in cases of sexual assault.