Premium
Sexual Assault in the U.S. Military: Trends and Responses
Author(s) -
Rough Jill A.,
Armor David J.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
world medical and health policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.326
H-Index - 11
ISSN - 1948-4682
DOI - 10.1002/wmh3.228
Subject(s) - sexual assault , military justice , military service , criminology , military psychology , military personnel , psychology , service member , political science , suicide prevention , poison control , social psychology , law , medicine , medical emergency
Sexual assault is without doubt one of the most pressing issues confronting the U.S military today. The Department of Defense (DoD) acknowledges that sexual assault is a crime “incompatible with military service” and seeks to establish an environment where sexual assault is not tolerated, condoned, or ignored. Yet questions persist over exactly how much progress DoD has made toward this goal. This paper reviews trends in the prevalence of sexual assault within the U.S. military, assesses how rates of sexual assault in the military compare to civilian rates, and then examines what the military has done to confront the problem and how it might improve such efforts.