Steubenville Rape vs. Glen Ridge Rape
Rape refers to any sexual activity that involves force, bodily harm, and intoxication (Cornell Law school, n.d.). The Steubenville rape case took place in Ohio in 2012. The case involved two football players aged sixteen and seventeen years who raped a 16-year-old girl. The girl was intoxicated, which means that her reasoning was flawed (Geier, 2013). The Glen Ridge rape case, on the other hand, involved football players who sexually assaulted a seventeen-year-old mentally challenged girl. The four offenders in the case were twenty, twenty-one, and twenty-two years old. The rape case took place in 1989 64 (Hanley, 1993). The two cases are similar since they involve the sexual assault of victims with incapacitated thinking. The two cases also involve football players.
Perpetrators
Similarities
The perpetrators in both cases are football players revered by the community. The victims in both scenarios are deemed as to blame for the assault. The perpetrators in both cases are found guilty and are sentenced to serve jail terms. In both cases, the offense was committed deliberately by the perpetrators. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Differences
The first case offenders are below twenty years, while the second cased offenders are between twenty and twenty-two years. The Glen Ridge case perpetrators receive harsher sentencing than the Steubenville case perpetrators.
Victim Blaming/ Responsibility
Similarities
In both cases, the victims were blamed for the assault that took place. The intoxicated girl was blamed for being intoxicated beyond standard function capacity hence to blame for the sexual assault. The disabled girl was deemed as being flirtatious, thus consenting to a sexual encounter. In both cases, victim-blaming did not hold ground as the perpetrators were handed sentences.
Differences
While the Steubenville case involved an intoxicated student, the Glen ridge case involved a low IQ student with challenged mental capacity. The former case involved a student who was too drank to comprehend, consent, or fight the offenders. Her incapacitation was deemed as a defense by the defense team and offender sympathizers. The latter case involved a mentally challenged student who, due to her condition, could not comprehend the intentions of the offenders who lured and assaulted her.
Community Response/ Influence
Similarities
The Steubenville case involved a community that idolized the football players. As a result, the offenders were deemed innocent while the victim was deemed guilty by the community. The Glen Ridge case involved a community that equally idolized the players hence deeming them innocent and the victim guilty. In both cases, people with authority chose to ignore the offense despite the full knowledge of the crime.
Differences
The Steubenville case involved adults that were equally charged for ignoring the offense. These individuals were deemed as aiding and conspiring to cover up the crime. The superintendent, for example, was involved in the case and was charged (Macur, 2013). The Glen Ridge case accrued attention from human rights and disability interest groups, unlike the Steubenville case.
Investigation
Similarities
Both cases involved community members who were not willing to come forward as relates to sexual crime committed. In both situations, the investigation involved not only the football players but the schools as well. The investigation was made difficult in both cases by people who preferred not to come forward and instead chose to protect the players by keeping silent. The school administration, in both cases, decided to take a no-action approach and did not conduct an investigation.
Differences
The Steubenville case involved an investigation that was de easier by the presence of video evidence on social media. The existence of the photos and videos made it easier to compile evidence. The Glen Ridge case did not involve photo and video evidence. The investigation involved school employees, such as the superintendent in the Steubenville case.
Prosecution
Similarities
The prosecution in both cases sought to show that the victims being vilified in both instances were innocent. The prosecution also sought to show the court that the offenders who were football players in both cases were not the heroes the community hailed. The indictment also tried to show the court that both crimes were committed deliberately by the offenders. Despite there being rumors about the crimes involved, parties and witnesses chose to keep silent. The prosecution thus sought to show that the people who should have protected the victims did the very opposite.
Differences
The prosecution sought a stiffer sentence in the Glen Ridge case than in the Steubenville case. The trial in the Glen Ridge involved arguing the case on the grounds of mental disability due to a low IQ level of 64 (Hanley, 1993). The prosecution in the Steubenville case argued on the grounds of clouded judgment due to intoxication.
Sentencing
Similarities
Both cases ended up with sentencing that favored the assaulted female students. It is important to note that out of 100 reported rape cases, only three ends up with a conviction (Geier, 2013). The conviction of the offenders in both cases was thus a rare occurrence as far as rape crime is concerned. It is in this regard that the two cases attracted so much attention.
Differences
The Steubenville case was not determined by the jury and was instead determined by a judge (Geier, 2013). The Glen Ridge case, on the other hand, was determined by a jury that consisted of twelve jurors (Hanley, 1993). The Steubenville case involved delinquents who served delinquent jail terms. The Glen Ridge case, on the other hand, need up in an adult sentencing with a possibility of parole. Sentencing in the Steubenville case involved adults who chose to take no action despite being aware of the fact. The Glen Ridge case did not include any adults other than the four offenders (Hanley, 1993).
Conclusion
In a society where rape is not given the necessary attention as far as justice is concerned, the outcome of the two cases is essential. It is disappointing to note that in both cases, however, the victims were victimized. The football players, despite committing an offense that had unquestionable evidence, still received protection from the community and school. In both cases, no witnesses were willing to come forth after the crime was committed. The school, which is supposed to offer protection to the victims, protected the offenders by ignoring the rape incidences. It is in this regard that most rape victims fear coming forth due to the likelihood of being victimized.
The sentences given in both cases though a reprieve for the victims, were not enough. The possibility of serving a jail term of five years for the Glen Ridge offenders, for example, is not commensurate with the multiple crimes committed. The possibility of parole would make the sentencing unfair. The juvenile sentences of less than five years handed to the Steubenville offenders were also not commensurate with the crime. In both scenarios, not only were the victims physically violated but also mentally and emotionally broken. As such, the lives of the victims were altered for life since the incidence would not be undone or forgotten. The sentences handed out were thus lenient in both cases.
References
Cornell Law school. 10 U.S. Code § 920 – Art. 120. Rape and sexual assault generally. LII /
Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 3 April 2020, from https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/920.
Geier, K. (2013). Guilty verdicts in the Steubenville rape case: a blow against rape culture |
Washington Monthly. Washington Monthly. Retrieved 3 April 2020, from https://washingtonmonthly.com/2013/03/17/guilty-verdicts-in-the-steubenville-rape-case-a-blow-against-rape-culture/.
Hanley, R. (1993). 4 Are Convicted in Sexual Abuse Of Retarded New Jersey Woman.
Archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved 3 April 2020, from https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/97/08/03/reviews/glenridge-verdict.html.
Macur, J. (2013). In Steubenville Rape Case, a Lesson for Adults. Nytimes.com. Retrieved 3
April 2020, from https://www.nytimes.com/2013/11/27/sports/in-steubenville-rape-case-a-lesson-for-adults.html.