Intersections of Race and Class: Victim Hierarchy and Rape Myths in the Daniel Holtzclaw Case

• In Event: Posters I

Abstract

Often, the credibility of rape victims is called into question as a result of their social status or that of the offender. Conviction is much less likely in cases where the victim falls short of society’s “ideal” image. In 2015, Oklahoma City police officer Daniel Holtzclaw was convicted on eighteen of thirty six counts resulting from accusations of sexual assault against black women from a poor, high crime community. On January 21, 2016, he was sentenced to 263 years in prison.The current study examines the presence of rape myths and endorsement of victim hierarchy in media coverage of the case.

Authors

• Adriane Vaughan, East Tennessee State University

• Leigh Kassem, East Tennessee State University