Examining Walking-Waiting Sexual Assaults from Previously Untested Sexual Assault Kits: The Intersection of Stranger and Outdoor Sexual Assaults

Within a routine activity framework, we explore walking-waiting sexual assaults – committed by strangers when victims were outdoors and did not consensually leave the scene. With data from untested sexual assault kits spanning decades in one urban jurisdiction, we found these were common (a fourth o...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Lovell, Rachel E. (Author)
Contributors: McGuire, Margaret ; Lorincz-Comi, Noah ; Overman, Laura ; Dover, Thomas ; Sabo, Danielle ; Flannery, Daniel J.
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Published: 2024
In: Victims & offenders
Year: 2024, Volume: 19, Issue: 2, Pages: 348-370
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Keywords:
Rape
Rape kit
Sexual Offending
Sexual assault kit
Stranger
Walking waiting sexual assault
outdoor
serial sex offender
Description
Summary:Within a routine activity framework, we explore walking-waiting sexual assaults – committed by strangers when victims were outdoors and did not consensually leave the scene. With data from untested sexual assault kits spanning decades in one urban jurisdiction, we found these were common (a fourth of the sample) with a distinct offending pattern. African American women were identified as the most frequent “targets” due to the use of certain public spaces that appear to lack “capable guardianship.” “Motivated offenders” were often serial sexual offenders but not exclusively tied to walking-waiting sexual assaults. Findings improve our understanding of the intersection of stranger and outdoor sexual assaults. Implications and future directions discussed.
ISSN:1556-4991
DOI:10.1080/15564886.2022.2100544