Campus Rape Study That Eroded Due Process Questioned
The study that fed the frenzied witch-hunt for rapists on college campuses has been shown to not actually measure campus rape. Psychologist David Lisak, who has made a career studying sexual assault, published a study in 2002 titled, “Repeat Rape and Multiple Offending Among Undetected Rapists” — a study that combined the work of several of his doctorate students and concluded the majority of rape on college campus is done by a few serial rapists who are never caught. The Department of Education latched onto the idea, and the idea of due process for male students accused of rape flew out the window. When Rolling Stone tried to illustrate the Red Scare in the Ivory Tower, they walked away with a story in tatters, as it was mostly a fabrication. Now, it’s the study that started it all that’s under scrutiny. Reason Magazine’s Linda M. LeFauve writes there is serious reason to question the 2002 study, as Lisak can’t properly explain his methodology. For example, one study Lisak uses did not specify if the respondents to the survey were college students or if rape happened on campus. Another time, Lisak claimed to have interviewed several subjects for the study — even though the study described the respondents as anonymous. Furthermore, this is not just an investigation by the rightmedia. The leftist rag Slate questioned the study in December. Funny how Rule of Law was swiftly eroded because some faulty science demanded it.