OVERVIEW
Serial rape is a crime that seems to have no justification. With murder or arson, it may have been self-defense. With other forms of serial offense, many suspects are able to come up with a reasonable justification to make themselves appear more innocent, or they may actually be innocent. On the other hand, serial rape, and rape in general, has no justification or reasonable story behind committing the crime. Serial rape is incredibly strange in that there is (typically) a lack of murdered victims. Yet, the post-offense psychological effects on the survivors are unfathomable by the general public, making it shocking that it is a relatively undocumented serial offense. With victims ranging from three all the way to over four hundred, serial rape is one of the, if not the most notorious, variation of serial offense in modern-day society.
We understand that the following content may be sensitive for some readers. Please keep this in mind as you proceed. If you or a loved one is a survivor of sexual assault or domestic abuse, please confide in someone you can trust or contact a hotline such as;
National Sexual Assault Hotline - 800.656.HOPE (4673)
National Domestic Violence Hotline - 800-799-7233 or text “START” to 88788
National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline - 988
Rape is a serious and sensitive subject. The survivors of rape and sexual assault experience horrifying psychological effects that can last for decades, and some will never even be able to recover from the traumatic experience fully. Britannica even cited many psychologists who agree that rape is a form of torture. We hope that we can at least spread some awareness of the unfortunate phenomenon of serial rape.
WHAT IS SERIAL RAPE?
Many definitions for serial rape have been proposed within the last few decades with differing criteria. Some considered serial rape to be only against women, while rape against men was regarded as indecent assault. Some even thought that a rapist needed to successfully rape over ten people to be considered a serial rapist (University of Pretoria). The definition of rape will vary depending on where you are and who you ask. However, the modern definition of rape, according to the Office of Justice, is “The penetration, no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person, without the consent of the victim.” The current definition of serial rape is two or more cases of rape that may or may not be related. They must be committed by the same offender(s) and must have a cooling-off period, like all serial offenses. Serial rapists typically target strangers. This differs from the rapist who only commits the crime once when the victim is someone close to them, such as a family member, lover, acquaintance, etc.
According to a study done from 1984-1986 by Robert R. Hazelwood, M.S., and Janet Warren, D.S.W., most serial rapists exhibited a form of control when attacking the victim. This form of control and approach is the complete opposite of serial murderers. Serial rapists do not generally make an attempt to appear friendly and instead use a combination of threats and physical presence as a way to attempt to exert control. Shockingly, they barely ever had some form of a weapon on hand. More than half of the people being assaulted resisted their attacker both physically and verbally. When met with resistance, around 55% of attackers used verbal threats. 11-22% tried to negotiate with the person, and 18-38% used physical force to attempt to regain control. Unlike many other serial offenses, serial rapists were shown not to have any qualms about not protecting their identities. Rarely do serial rapists make an effort to evade conviction by developing techniques making it even more surprising that so many reported rape and sexual assault cases go unsolved.
MOTIVATIONS
The primary motivation for any form of sexual assault is relatively unknown due to the small amount of research performed on serial rape. However, it is known that serial rape is not a “crime of passion,” as many are taught to believe, but instead, a crime of power and control. Many serial rapists intentionally humiliate and demean the person they are assaulting. Most serial rapists enjoy exerting and flaunting the control they have over the person they are assaulting. In fact, it was even reported that 8-13% of serial rapists attempted to communicate with the survivors post-offense. (Criminal Behavior of the Serial Rapist | Office of Justice Programs, 2023)
Many motivations can be given for serial rape, but it typically boils down to the complex desire to control, exact revenge, humiliate, degrade, and cause pain. Suppose the rape does have a sexual component. In that case, it typically includes a fantasy that will be impossible to “perfect,” and the fantasy always consists of some belief that the victim will willingly submit. In this case, the rapist will continue to assault others, assuming that the fantasy will somehow come true. Occasionally, these rapists believe the person they are assaulting has already consented despite them never doing so. Some serial rapists do so to reassure themselves about sexual adequacy, usually under the influence of toxic masculinity. A common motivation for serial rape is anger and hate. These rapists are only doing so due to the perceived wrongs of a group of people. These rapists intend to humiliate, degrade, and physically and mentally injure the person they are assaulting. In some cases, these rapists are aroused by injuring the individuals, specifically without their consent.
APPROACHES
Many serial rapists develop a pattern of approach when trying to find a potential victim. Contrary to the popular belief that rape is a crime committed on impulse, most sexual crimes, especially serial rape, are premeditated. This means that it was planned, in detail, in advance. It was reported that only around 15-22% of serial rapists impulsively attacked someone. Additionally, this also means that the approach used to attack and assault a person was premeditated as well. These approaches can vary significantly but tend to follow one of these three approaches, according to an investigation done by FBI special agents in 1984-1986;
The “Con” Approach - A less prevalent approach of the three, the “con” approach is one that requires an ability to interact successfully with others. These serial rapists appear friendly and outgoing and will openly interact with people they intend to harm. Due to their ability to appear as though they have good intentions, unfortunately, trust is quickly gained. To further gain their trust, the serial rapist typically asks for help with something or may ask for a favor. Once the rapist feels in control of the situation, they may suddenly become violent and aggressive. This type of serial rapist may use several forms of deception in order to take advantage of someone. (Criminal Behavior of the Serial Rapist | Office of Justice Programs, 2023)
The “Blitz” Approach - The “blitz” approach is a sudden, immediate, and incredibly violent approach in which the rapist gives a person no time to react. This approach, on most occasions, physically injures the person being assaulted, making the rapist believe they’re more in control. Though it is used less often than the “con” approach, due to the violent nature of the approach, it is, unfortunately, more arousing to the rapist. In this type of approach, chemicals, drugs, or gas are also used to subdue the victim. (Criminal Behavior of the Serial Rapist | Office of Justice Programs, 2023)
The “Surprise” Approach - This approach includes the rapist waiting for the person they’re planning to assault to be in a vulnerable position, such as being asleep, drunk, alone, etc. This means that this type of rapist already has their target in mind and has, most likely, stalked them without engaging in social contact, implying that these types of serial rapists lack social skills. Verbal and physical threats, along with the presence of weapons, are not rare within this approach. However, it is reported that physical injuries are, surprisingly, uncommon with this approach. (Criminal Behavior of the Serial Rapist | Office of Justice Programs, 2023)
Due to the failure to link rape and sexual assault cases to one another, serial rape is a relatively unresearched form of serial offense. This means that we can’t definitely say if serial rapists use a combination of these approaches or if there are more than just three.
CONCLUSION
Serial rape and sexual assault are crimes that have horrendous post-offense effects on the survivors. With more survivors speaking out and documenting their experiences, a lot more can be learned about how these serial offenders function and the psychological effects on survivors. Something that should always be remembered is that serial rape is a severe crime and should never be excused, no matter the “justification.” It should always be noted that if explicit consent was not given, there is absolutely no reason to continue or even begin. We hope that you continue to spread awareness of rape and sexual assault.
This is the third article in our series on serial offenses, and our next article will discuss serial bombings.
REFERENCES
An Updated Definition of Rape. (2012, January 6). Justice.gov. https://www.justice.gov/archives/opa/blog/updated-definition-rape
Criminal Behavior of the Serial Rapist | Office of Justice Programs. (2023). Ojp.gov. https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/criminal-behavior-serial-rapist
Doctoral Thesis, University of Pretoria
Goldsworthy, T. (2009). Serial Rape. https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-374998-7.00012-5
Introduction to the Serial Rapist: Research by the FBI | Office of Justice Programs. (2023). Ojp.gov. https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/introduction-serial-rapist-research-fbi
Rape. (2022). Rape & Sexual Assault Offenders: Theories & Motivations - Video & Lesson Transcript | Study.com. Study.com. https://study.com/academy/lesson/rape-sexual-assault-offenders-theories-motivations.html#:~:text=Motivations%20of%20Rapists,-What%20motivates%20someone&text=The%20offenders'%20motivations%20under%20these,assert%20power%20over%20the%20victim.
Rape | Definition, Effects, Motivations, & Facts | Britannica. (2023). In Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/rape-crime