An Analysis of Thirty-Five Years of Rape Reform: A Frustrating Search for Fundamental Fairness

This article will analyze the most significant changes in the manner in which individuals who are charged with the crime of rape are prosecuted for that offense. In the last thirty five years, there has been a steady erosion of the due process rights of those accused of rape. I have designated the first stage of “reforms,” which affected the arrest, pretrial, and trial phases of rape prosecutions, as the First Wave of rape reform. The Second Wave are the more recent changes in the law that have focused on measures, such as sexual registry or civil commitment statutes, that restrict the freedoms of those convicted of sexual assault in the hope of enhanced community safety.