U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

Federal Rape Law Reform - Hearings Before the House Subcommittee on Criminal Justice, August 31 and September 12, 1984

NCJ Number
102524
Date Published
1984
Length
118 pages
Annotation
These 1984 hearings before a U.S. congressional subcommittee focuses on H.R. 4876, a bill that would reform Federal rape statutes.
Abstract
The proposed law uses the word 'sexual assault' rather than 'rape.' It maintains the penalty of life imprisonment for the most violent crimes while providing lesser penalties for less extreme cases, especially where sexual intercourse has not occurred. The bill also expands the law's scope by establishing that the victim may be of either sex and by abolishing spousal immunity from prosecution. Speakers included public officials from Michigan, which had already reformed its rape laws; representatives of advocacy organizations; a U.S. Department of Justice official, and two congressmen. One of the leaders of an advocacy organization was a victim of wife beating and spousal rape and described in detail her personal history and its emotional effects on her. Written statements are included.