Sherry F. Colb

About the author: Sherry F. Colb is a professor of law at Rutgers Law School in New Jersey. She is a frequent contributor to Writ, an online newsletter focused on legal issues, from which the following viewpoint was selected.

The majority of rapes fall into the category of date/acquaintance rape, in which the victim knows her attacker. Many people, however, remain unconvinced that date/acquaintance rape is a serious offense. Studies on the effects of date rape tell a different story— rape victims who know their attackers experience longer periods of psychological trauma than victims raped by strangers. The American justice system should treat date/acquaintance rape as a crime with real consequences for offenders.

In my first-year criminal law class at Rutgers, we are now covering the unit on rape...