Intoxicated Perpetrators of Sexual Assault & Rape Know What They are Doing Despite Intoxication: What the Literature Has to Say

Abstract

Far too many people claim that they did not know what they were doing when confronted about antisocial or illegal behavior they engaged in when intoxicated. Yet somehow they seem to recall most if not all pleasant or fun behavior when intoxicated. People tell their stories of how much fun they had when intoxicated, recalling most of the details of their drunken escapades. The literature suggests that people may not recall events that commonly occur and therefore some of their drunken escapades may not be recalled in full because they are routine occurrences. I postulate that events that are pleasant for an individual are likely stored in memory stronger than other events and therefore more likely to be recalled. Remember that sex related offenses and behavior an individual engages in are good or positive events for that person-they like what they are doing. Sex related offenses involve specific behavior that requires thinking (e.g., to counter victim resistance, to engage in specific sexual or other behavior on the victim, and to remove any evidence, and to escape the situation). Even with an unconscious victim, the perpetrator has to make contact without others seeing, remove any clothing, deal with any victim resistance should the victim awake, and escape without detection. I believe that sex offenders who engage in sex offenses while intoxicated have a memory of their offense and know what they are doing at the time they are doing it, despite claiming that they either i. did not know what they were doing at the time because they were intoxicated or ii. Have no recollection of the event because of a "black-out". Literature suggests that even when intoxicated, individuals are aware of what they are doing and recall events via free recall and cues interviewing. In addition, though alcohol may cause cognitive and physical impairment, focusing on the desired reward of coerced or forced sex may help the perpetrator counter some of the negative impact of alcohol. Intoxicated non-rapists pay attention to peripheral cues (e.g., social sanctions against rape, peer accountability) and choose to stop sexually assaultive and rape behavior. The factors involved in the decision to sexually assault and rape are many; alcohol intoxication appears to play only a peripheral role. This is also supported by the alcohol-myopia theory. Marijuana intoxication is also briefly addressed. Background Alcohol does not cause anyone to become loving or violent. It is a myriad of factors that guides the judgement of the intoxicated person to make decisions on how to behave. Considering factors include the pharmacologic effect of alcohol, the environment, expectancies (self-fulfilling prophecy), as well as psychological issues (e.g., predispositions for impulsivity or antisocial traits). If alcohol intoxication "caused" a specific behavior, such as physical violence or rape, then every time the individual were intoxicated they would engage in violent or rape behavior [1]. Marijuana has also been linked with rape. One study found that marijuana is the most common used drug used for sexual assaults [2] and rape [3]. The intoxication effects of Marijuana are similar to those of other date rape drugs including Rohypnol [4]. For the victim of sexual assault or rape, intoxication makes it difficult to resist or escape the situation [5] and intoxicated or sober men's/perpetrator's tendency to misinterpret the intoxicated women's sexual intent [6].