Rape And Sexual Assault

This program provides community supervision and services to individuals released early from prison to help them find employment and reduce their recidivism. The program is rated Effective. Program participants were less likely to be reincarcerated and had higher rates of integration into the workforce, compared with individuals who did not participate in the program. These differences were statistically significant.

The goal of this bystander-focused, classroom-delivered curriculum is to reduce rates of interpersonal violence among high school students. The program is rated No Effects. The program had no statistically significant impact on various measures of interpersonal violence, victim empathy, and measures of proactive bystander behavior. There was a statistically significant decrease for the treatment group in bystander denial about the role students could play in preventing interpersonal violence.

The goal of this exposure-based, integrative intervention was to reduce substance use and mental health problems in adolescents who have experienced trauma. The program is rated Promising. The program had a statistically significant impact on depressive and internalizing symptoms, family cohesion, and family conflict. There were mixed results for PTSD symptoms and substance use. There was no statistically significant impact on externalizing symptoms.

This program aims to prevent sexual violence in middle school male athletes. The program is rated No Effects. There were no statistically significant differences between treatment and control group athletes in reports of abuse (relationship, cybersexual, or sexual), sexual harassment, negative bystander behaviors, sex-equitable attitudes, or intention to intervene. Treatment group athletes reported statistically significantly more positive bystander behaviors and recognized more signs of abuse.

This was a sexual assault prevention program adapted for American Indian girls that sought to reduce sexual assault victimization and to improve sexual assault resistance skills and self-defense knowledge. The program is rated Promising. Girls who received the intervention reported statistically significantly lower rates of sexual assault and sexual harassment, compared with girls in the comparison group. However, there was no impact on reported rates of physical dating violence.

This is a program for young women in nonemergency health centers in Sweden. It involves routine inquiry about their experiences with violence victimization and offers empowerment strategies for victimized women. The program is rated No Effects. There were no statistically significant differences between the intervention and control groups in self-reported measures of physical violence, sexual violence (touch or penetration), and emotional violence at the 12-month follow-up.

This was a program for college women who engaged in heavy episodic drinking to provide feedback on their risk perception and resistance to reduce sexual assault. The program is rated No Effects. Program participants did not statistically significantly differ from those in the control group on measures of incapacitated attempted/completed rape frequency, alcohol-related sexual assault incidents/severity, or use of sexual assault protective behavioral strategies at the 3-month follow-up.

This program is a multidisciplinary, victim-focused approach designed to improve forensic interviewing and the continuity of care for youth who are victims of sexual abuse and assault. The program is rated Effective. The program showed a statistically significant increase in the receipt of physical health examinations and counseling referrals for treatment group youth, compared with youth in the community comparison group.

This is an online video program that seeks to promote and increase high school and college students’ efficacy in performing helpful bystander behavior in instances of relationship or sexual violence, to reduce sexual violence among young adults and adolescents. The program is rated Promising. The treatment group showed statistically significant increases in observed and self-reported bystander behavior and in efficacy to intervene, compared with the control group.

This is a therapeutic program that used meditation to improve mental health outcomes for female survivors of interpersonal violence with co-occurring disorders. The program is rated Promising. Women in the treatment group who participated in the meditation curriculum had a statistically significant fewer number of mental health and trauma symptoms, and a higher level of reliable change in mental health and trauma symptoms, compared with women in the control group who received services as usual.

This program is a prison-based therapeutic community for drug-involved individuals. The program is rated Promising. After 3 years, results showed statistically significant increases in remaining drug-free; however, there were no statistically significant effects in being arrest-free.

This was a registration requirement targeting individuals convicted of sex offenses and other crimes against children. The federal legislation required the registration of people released after serving time for a sex offense, including name, address, sex crime committed, and a photograph. The program is rated No Effects. The program did not statistically significantly reduce sex-crime rates.

This is an educational, skills-based workshop for first-year female college students. The program is designed to teach young women how to assess risk, overcome barriers in acknowledging danger, and engage in self-defense to reduce the risk of sexual assault. The program is rated Effective. The program showed a statistically significant reduction in the risk of completed and attempted rape, nonconsensual sexual acts, and attempted coercion. There was no impact on the risk of attempted coercion.

This inpatient program provides group and individual therapy to those who have committed sexual offenses and have recently been released from prison in Ontario, Canada. The program is rated No Effects. There was no significant difference in sexual recidivism rates between the treatment group and the comparison group.

This 6-month program aims to reduce recidivism by diverting eligible candidates from prison to a boot camp that promotes discipline, structure, and characteristics of good citizenship and seeks to improve skills for reentry into the community. The program is rated Promising. Boot camp participants had statistically significantly lower rates of recidivism (measured as both rearrest and reincarceration) compared with nonparticipants at the 3-year follow-up.

This is a community notification program targeting people who have been released after serving time for sex offenses in Minnesota. This is a state response to the federal requirements of Megan’s Law and authorizes law enforcement to notify local communities about where people who have been released after serving time for sex offenses will be living. The program is rated Promising. The experimental notification group had lower recidivism rates for sexual crimes compared with the non-notification

This program is designed to increase active-bystander behaviors and reduce dating and sexual violence in college and high school students. The program is rated Promising. Students who participated in the program had a statistically significantly greater number of observed and self-reported active-bystander behaviors than students who did not participate. However, there was no statistically significant impact on sexual violence victimization or sexual harassment.

The program provides cognitive–behavioral treatment and relapse prevention to people who commit repetitive, compulsive sex offenses. Cognitive–behavioral treatments focus on reconstructing person’s cognitive distortions; relapse prevention focuses on pattern recognition and breaking the cycle of recommitting sex crimes. The program is rated Promising. The intervention participants showed a statistically significant lower likelihood of recidivating, compared with the general prison-population.

In 2005, the city of Jacksonville, Florida passed an ordinance that required persons convicted of sex offenses to reside more than 2,500 feet away from any place where children congregate. The goal was to reduce sex crimes, especially those committed against children. However, the city residence restriction law was later deemed unconstitutional in 2007. The program is rated No Effects. The residence restriction had no statistically significant impact on their rates of rearrests for sex crimes.

This is a 12-session program for adolescent females with a history of exposure to violence/abuse and involvement in the child welfare system. The goal of the program was to reduce re-victimization in teen dating situations. The program used a health-promotion approach to help girls develop healthy relationships. The program is rated Promising. The intervention had a statistically significant impact on reducing physical re-victimization, but not sexual re-victimization.

This is a problem-solving court program that seeks to divert mentally ill adults who committed misdemeanor and felony offenses out of the justice system and into treatment to address their mental health issues and reduce their risk of recidivism. The program is rated No Effects. There was no statistically significant effect on rearrests or reconvictions for treatment group participants, compared with similar individuals with a mental disorder in jail, at the 30-month follow-up.

This is a sexual assault risk-reduction program that is designed to teach college women bystanders about sexual assault, characteristics of men who perpetrate the crime, and how to intervene. The program is rated Promising. Experimental group participants demonstrated statistically significant increases in their ability and willingness to intervene, compared with control group participants. However, there was no statistically significant impact on rape myth acceptance.

This is a cognitive therapeutic program that is intended to assist female victims of sexual assault with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The overall goal is to restructure unbalanced thoughts directly related to the trauma. The program is rated Effective. Women in the treatment group demonstrated reduced symptoms of both PTSD and depression, compared with women in the control group. These differences were statistically significant.

The program uses specially trained nurses to provide comprehensive psychological, medical, and forensic services to recent sexual assault victims in either hospital- or community-based clinic settings. The program is rated Promising. Across multiple sites, the results showed that sexual assault cases that were prosecuted following implementation of SANE had a statistically significant greater likelihood of resulting in a guilty plea or conviction.

This is a rape prevention program for college students, designed to teach about the prevalence of sexual assault, distinguish between rape myths and facts, identify risky situations, and teach techniques to use in a risky situation. The program was rated No Effects. The program had a statistically significant effect on self-efficacy and self-protective dating behaviors, but did not impact sexual victimization, sexual aggression, attitudes toward women, rape empathy, or sexual communication.

This is a place-based, problem-oriented policing strategy implemented by the Boston (Mass.) Police Department in response to a sudden increase in violent index crimes. The program is rated Promising. Treatment street units experienced statistically significant reductions in total violent index crime, robbery, and aggravated assault, compared with control street units. However, there was no statistically significant effect on incidents of homicide or rape/sexual assault.

This is a program, provided by the Minnesota Department of Corrections, which offers treatment, therapy, and transitional services to convicted males in prison. The program is rated Promising. Treatment group inmates had a statistically significant lower likelihood of being rearrested for sex offenses, violent offenses, or any offenses, compared with comparison group inmates who did not receive any treatment.

This is a woman-focused, HIV intervention designed to reduce sex-risk behavior, substance use, and victimization among at-risk and underserved women, including female sex workers. The program is rated Promising. Compared with the comparison group, non-sex workers in the intervention reported less sexual abuse, alcohol use, and verified drug abuse, and sex workers in the intervention reported less physical abuse and verified drug abuse. These differences were statistically significant.

This dual intervention aims to reduce peer violence and sexual harassment in middle schoolers by emphasizing consequences and increasing surveillance of unsafe areas. The program is rated Promising. The intervention group had statistically significant reductions in sexual victimization and in violence victimization and perpetration compared with those in the control group. There were no statistically significant effects on sexual harassment perpetration, or knowledge, attitudes, or intentions.

This program provides specialized and coordinated services to victims of sexual assault during their first contact with the health care system. The program is rated Promising. Treatment group patients had a statistically significant greater number of referrals to victim services and greater likelihood of consenting to evidence collection, pregnancy tests, and STD treatment, compared with control group patients treated in the standard emergency room.

This is a community-based program that provides sexual abuse–specific assessment, treatment, consultation, and long-term support to adolescents who were convicted of sexual abuse and to their families. This program is rated Promising. Intervention participants showed a statistically significant lower likelihood of being charged with a sexual reoffense, nonsexual violent reoffense, nonviolent reoffense, or any reoffense, compared with control participants, at the 20-year follow up.

This program is an adaptation of Multisystemic Therapy, specifically designed for adolescents who have committed sexual offenses and demonstrated other problem behaviors. The program is rated Promising. Program participants had lower rates of self-reported person and property offenses as well as lower rates of arrests for sexual crimes and other crimes, compared with control group participants. These findings were statistically significant.

This is a cognitive–behavioral treatment program for assault survivors who have posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The program is rated Effective. Women in the treatment group experienced statistically significant reductions in the severity of PTSD, depression, and anxiety symptoms and a statistically significant improvement in social functioning, compared with women in the control group, at follow up.

This is a therapeutic approach designed to treat individuals who are dealing with the aftermath of a traumatic life event. The goal is to help those who have experienced traumatic stress to reprocess and store traumatic memories adaptively. The program is rated Promising. Program participants reported statistically significant improvements in posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, self-concept, avoidance, and intrusive thoughts, compared with control group participants.

This intervention is designed to reduce distress associated with forensic rape examinations and reduce the victims’ risk of developing psychopathology and substance use after an assault. The program is rated No Effects. At the 6-month follow up, there were no statistically significant differences between the treatment and nontreatment groups in alcohol, marijuana, or hard drug use, or in symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, or depression.

This program seeks to increase prosocial attitudes and behaviors toward and awareness of risky behaviors and precursors to sexual victimization among potential bystanders and third-person witnesses. The program is rated Promising. Intervention participants showed statistically significant improvements in knowledge of sexual violence and bystander attitudes, behavior, efficacy, and likelihood of helping friends, and a reduction in rape-myth acceptance, compared with nonparticipants.

This is a trauma-focused psychotherapy program for those suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The program is rated Effective. Treated adults showed statistically significant lower PTSD symptoms, depression, and anxiety than comparison group adults. Treated youth showed statistically significant higher levels of hope and lower levels of the PTSD criterion of intrusive re-experiencing than comparison group youth, but there were no impacts in other mental health outcomes.

This interactive classroom curriculum is designed to reduce youth dating violence by addressing bullying, unsafe sexual behavior, and substance use. The program is rated No Effects. The program had small, statistically significant effects on decreasing dating violence and sexual harassment/assault victimization. However, there were no significant effects on sexual harassment/assault perpetration, peer violence perpetration or victimization, sexual activity, substance use, or prosocial attitudes.

This program uses a drug treatment continuum of prison-based therapeutic community and residential work release for drug-involved convicted persons. The program is rated Promising. Results showed statistically significant increases in remaining drug-free after 3 years and increases in condom use after 6 months; however, there were no statistically significant effects in being injection-free (after 6 months) or arrest-free (after 3 years).