The scientific method is a step-by-step process to try and resolve a problem or question. The first step is coming up with a question. For example, in the field of criminal justice and in the case of this paper, do the existence of statutes of limitations in states regarding rape affect the number of women who report these rapes? The next step in the scientific method is to form a hypothesis about what you think will happen in an experiment. The hypothesis in this case would be stated as: : States that have no statutes of limitations would result in more women reporting these rapes to the police versus women reporting rapes in states that do have statutory limits. The third step consists of conducting an experiment and setting up a study design. After the experiment, the experiment draws conclusions from the experiment and figures out if the hypothesis has been supported by examining and analyzing the experimental data. Finally, the experiment is responsible for reporting the results, these results written up and documented through tables, graphs, etc. Many experiments are also published in journals, so other people can benefit from the study’s findings .
The hypothesis is this case would be stated as: States that have no statutes of limitations would result in more women reporting these rapes to the police versus women reporting rapes in states that do have statutory limits. For example in New York State, there is no statute of limitations on First Degree Rape, the crime considered a Class B Felony . However, in a state such as Pennsylvania, all rapes have a statutes of limitations. According to the Rape Abuse and Incest and National Network (RAINN), in Pennsylvania, “1. Legal proceedings against the perpetrator of this crime must commence within 12 years after commission of the offense; or 2. If committed against a minor under 18, prosecution must commence by the date the minor reaches 50 years of age” (Policy Crime Definitions- Pennsylvania, 2013, paragraph 1).
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Because women are often reticent about reporting rapes due to the statute of limitations, I feel that taking these limitations away would male one more prone to report rapes. One way to do this study is to team up with hospitals and police departments and conduct a study for two years in five states that have a statute of limitations on rape and five states that do not have any statutes in place. A sample of 10,000 women can be used. Hospitals can keep track of women who have been raped and the percentage of these women who report their rapes to the police. Police departments can then finalize the experimenter statistics on women who reported rapes in each state that the experiment is studying. With written consent, these women who did report rape can be given surveys that ask questions that pertain to the statute of limitations, questions that ask if the statute of limitations had any bearing on their decision to report the rape.
I would consider the experiment a success if there was a significant difference between women reporting rapes to the police between the five states that do not have a statutes of limitations versus the states that do have statutes, more women reporting rapes in the absence of a statutes of limitations states, probably a 10% difference. I would deem the results a failure if the reporting of rapes were equal in the statute and non-statute statutes, no significant difference, or if the states with the statutes showed a greater percentage of women reporting rapes.
If my hypothesis was proven then I would like to team up with national organizations such as the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence, the Rape Assault and Incest and National Network, and The Crime Victims Board to push for a change in legislation in states that still have a statutes of limitations in terms of getting each state to drop their statutes of limitations on rape. If my hypothesis was not proven, then I would design another study that focused more on other factors that may encourage women to report rapes, such as age, income, career, and social status of the victim, as well as the same factors if known, of the perpetrator, if the perpetrator is a stranger or close friend, if a female is single, married, or in a relationship, as well as the popularity and credibility of the individual being accused of rape.
This issue of credibility is one that has been in the national news lately. One problem that has surfaced in the past year, mainly in celebrities accused of rape, is the stature of limitations that exists in certain cases of rape. Because the time to press charges has expired on some of these cases, women are not able to get justice without physical evidence. However, as was the case many years ago, DNA rape kits had not come out, which made it difficult to provide actual proof that a woman had been raped.
One celebrity that has received much national attention in the past couple of months is comedian and actor Bill Cosby. Cosby, who played the beloved television dad Heathcliff Huxtable on “The Cosby Show,” has been accused of drugging, sexually assaulting, and raping about 30 women. In the past few months, several Cosby accusers have told their story, their stories similar, in spite of the 40 year span that the alleged rapes occurred in. Many people cannot believe that Cosby would commit such a heinous act, Cosby’s credibility a major source of contention that has been portrayed in the media. However, Cosby cannot be charged with the majority of these rapes, due to the statute of limitations on these alleged crimes.
Credibility is defined a communicator who is thought to be trustworthy. In the case of Cosby, his credibility has been established by his solid education, donation of money to various charities and causes, and his excellent comic skills and wholesome portrayal of Cliff Huxtable. While the rape allegations have caused many people to question Cosby’s credibility, Cosby asked to step down from Temple University and having his comedy shows canceled, some celebrities refuse to refute his credibility (Lusk, 2014), which can make women who were raped by him less likely to report it, due to fear of not being believed.
Celebrities such as actress Whoopi Goldberg and singer Jill Scott supported Cosby by defending his credibility and not trusting the credibility of his accusers. Goldberg questioned why the victims were not subjected to a rape kit by police officers or the hospital and also stated that she had many questions to ask alleged rape victim Barbara Bowman. Scott took a different approach in defending Cosby’s credibility by stating that she knows Bills Cosby and the rape claims against him are insane. (Lusk, 2014).
As you can see, the scientific method can be used to conduct my study on how the statutes of limitations influences a victim’s decision to report a rape to the police, my hypothesis stating that: States that have no statutes of limitations would result in more women reporting these rapes to the police versus women reporting rapes in states that do have statutory limits. Depending on the results of the experiment, I would either push for legislative changes to eradicate statutes of limitations on rape if my hypothesis was supported. If my hypothesis was not supported, then I would conduct another study on other factors that influence women to report rapes, such as credibility of the perpetrators and age, social, economic, and relationship status of the victim.
- Ciccarelli, S. K., & White, N. (2011). Psychology. Upper Saddle River: Pearson.
- Lusk, D. (2014, December 3). Bill Cosby thanks Whoopi Goldberg, Jill Scott for defending him. Retrieved from CBS News website: http://www.cbsnews.com
- Policy crime definitions- New York . (2013). Retrieved from RAINN.org website: http://apps.rainn.org
- Policy crime definitions- Pennsylvania. (2013). Retrieved from RAINN. org website: http://apps.rainn.org
