Suchergebnisse

In the 1980s, in response to public criticism of police handling of rape cases, changes of style and procedure were initiated by the Metropolitan Police. Other forces followed suit. But there has been little research to monitor the impact of the new regimes. This article looks at the responses of a group of women who reported rape in 3 Area (North East) of the Metropolitan Police District during the years 1993 to 1995 with a view to ascertaining their reactions to police processes and to gauging those aspects of their contact with the police which they regarded as particularly positive or negative. The article suggests that, given the vast increase since the 1980s in the number of rapes being reported annually, particularly in the Metropolitan Police District, a fresh look may need to be given to current police systems.

Abstract: This article considers the medical examination of women who report rape to the police. Fourteen women who reported rape to the Sussex police between 1991 and 1993 were interviewed in depth about their experience of the medical examination. Eighty‐six per cent of them were wholly, mainly or partly negative about it whilst 36% were wholly or partly positive. The article considers those factors perceived as positive and those perceived as negative. It offers some suggestions as to how medical services for victims of rape might be improved.

There has been no lack of attention paid to the intractable problems surrounding the law of attempt. Interest in them has been revived in England by the publication of the Law Commission's Working Paper on Inchoate Offences' and by the decision of the House of Lords in R. v. Smith. As these are difficulties common to all common law jurisdictions, Canadian lawyers may be interested to learn of these recent developments. It is proposed to concentrate here on two main issues: first, what conduct constitutes an attempt and secondly, the question of impossibility. Both are discussed in the working paper; Smith deals only with impossibility. Before considering these, however, it may be useful for Canadian lawyers to have some information as to the nature of the Law Commission and the way it operates. The Commission, a full-time statutory body created in 1965 to keep English law under continuous review, is similar to the Law Reform Commission of Canada. It is examining, inter alia, the general principles of the criminal law with a view to their codification. To this end it has set up a working party consisting of Law Commissioners, members of the Criminal Law Revision Committee, representatives of the Home Office and practising lawyers to prepare working papers 6. These papers are widely circulated for comment and criticism. They do not represent the Commission's final view, nor do they necessarily have its approval. Reactions to each paper are considered and the Commission itself prepares a formal report embodying its own recommendations, including a draft bill, which is presented to the Lord Chancellor, laid before Parliament and published.