Sexual Assault and Harassment in America

Book excerpt: This wide-ranging resource uses evidence-based documentation to examine claims and beliefs—and provide the facts—about sexual assault and harassment and other forms of sexual violence in the United States. Each title in the Contemporary Debates series examines the veracity of controversial claims or beliefs surrounding a major political/cultural issue in the United States. They do so to give readers a clear and unbiased understanding of current issues by informing them about falsehoods, half-truths, and misconceptions—and confirming the factual validity of other assertions—that have gained traction in AmericA&Rsquo;s political and cultural discourse. Ultimately, this series has been crafted to give readers the tools for a fuller understanding of issues, events, policies, and laws that occupy center stage in American life and politics. This volume in the series addresses the issue of sexual violence in the U.S. It includes chapters devoted to quantifying the extent of the problems of sexual assault and harassment; demographic groups most likely to experience sexual violence; physical, emotional, and societal impacts of sexual assault; how investigations of sex-related charges are conducted; laws and policies pertaining to both victims and offenders; and sexual violence prevention and response services outside of the criminal justice system.