Prostitution and the Increasing Number of Convictions for Rape in Queensland
| Author | R. N. Barber |
| Date | 01 September 1969 |
| DOI | 10.1177/000486586900200305 |
| Published date | 01 September 1969 |
Prostitution
and
the Increasing
Number
of
Convictions for
Rape in Queensland
R.N.BARBER*
A.
Introduction
IN May of 1968
the
New
South
Wales
Government
set
up a Select Committee
"to
Investlgate violent sex crlmes"! following
an
increase of
about
30
per
cents
in
such
offences
during
the
previous year. This increase
has
been
characterized
in
that
State
by
the
high
incidence of
what
has
been called
"gang",
"pack", or
"mass"
rapes,
The
aim
of
the
present
writer
Is to
examine
the
position in Queensland
regardmg
the
prevalence of
rape
and
attempted
rape,
and
to investigate some of
the
various opintons
currently
belng
put
forward in New
South
Wales
and
elsewhere to "explain"
the
In-
creasing
rape,
and
particularly
"pack" rape, conviction
rate.
B.
comncuons
tor Rape
and
Attempted
Rap.e
in
Queensland.
According to
the
Report
01
Committee
ot
Inquiry
regarding
Sexual
ottences of
1944,
the
number
of convictions for
rape
and
attempted
rape
in
Queensland
durlng
the
war
years increased "mainly,
and
perhaps
wholly"3 because of
factors
attributable
to
the
war,
and
particularly
to
the
large
number
of
both
Australian
and
American servicemen
stationed
In
Queensland. Following
the
termination
of
the
war,
the
number
or con-
victions for
these
two offences fell slightly
until
the
early 1950's,
after
whlch,
and
especlally
in
recent
years,
the
number
has
tncreased greatly, as
Table 1 on
the
next
page indieates.
c.Some Suggested Causes 0/
thts
tncrease
1.
TV,
Films,
and
ItSuggestive" Books.
One of
the
most
popular
of these theories is
that
sexual offenders
have
had
their
passlons aroused by
the
glorification of crime, sex
and
vlolence
in
films, books,
and
via
the
mass media
generally,
Without
wishing to
enter
unnecessarily
into
this
field of psychological investigation, atopic on whieh
*B.A. (Hons.), Department of Accountancy, University of Queensland,
manuscript
re-
ceived, 20th June, 1968.
1.
Sunday
Telegraph;
26/5/1968.
2. Ibid.
3.
Report
of
Committee
of
Inquiry
regarding
SexualOffences,
of 1944.
at
pa,.
7.
169
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