Sexual Assault Archives

Viewfinder: Emotional Moments During Christine Blasey Ford’s Testimony

A tear runs down the cheek of Representative Carolyn Malone (D-New York) as Christine Blasey Ford testifies during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court on September 27th, 2018.

Pacific Standard Staff

Judge Brett Kavanaugh testifies to the Senate Judiciary Committee during his Supreme Court confirmation hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill on September 27th, 2018, in Washington, DC.

Kavanaugh Frequently Interrupted Female Senators on Thursday. That Doesn’t Bode Well for His Supreme Court Conduct.

And other takeaways from Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh's Thursday hearing.

Emily Moon

Christine Blasey Ford testifies before the Senate Judiciary Committee on September 27th, 2018.

For Ford, Could the Senate Hearings Open Up Old Wounds?

Research shows that the trauma of sexual assault lingers for victims, and ruminating over the memory of an assault could re-traumatize survivors.

Kate Wheeling

Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of a sexual assault in 1982, testifies before a Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing for Kavanaugh on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on September 27th, 2018.

There Are Best Practices for Interviewing Those Who Report Sex Crimes—and Thursday’s Senate Hearing Followed None of Them

An expert on how to best investigate sex crimes responds to Christine Blasey Ford's testimony.

Francie Diep

Protesters rally in front of the Supreme Court while demonstrating against the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the court on September 24th, 2018, in Washington, D.C.

What the Research Says About (the Very Rare Phenomenon of) False Sexual Assault Allegations

Pacific Standard looks at the evidence about people who make false accusations of rape, and how to get the best information during sexual assault cases.

Francie Diep

Bill Cosby is taken away in handcuffs after being sentenced to three to 10 years in his sexual assault retrial at the Montgomery County Courthouse on September 25th, 2018, in Norristown, Pennsylvania.

How Typical Is Bill Cosby’s Sentence?

Cosby received three to 10 years in state prison. How does that measure up to other sentences?

Emma Sarappo

In protest against Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh, activists chant slogans outside the office of Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) on September 20th, 2018, at Hart Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

Science Says: Believe Women

Here's what the politicians and pundits are saying about Christine Blasey Ford's allegations—and what the research can tell us about the truth of their claims.

Emily Moon

Social Justice

‘Every Story Has a Function’: An Interview With Jennifer Fox

The writer and director explains what she learned by putting the true story of her childhood sexual abuse on screen.

John-Manuel Andriote

News in Brief

Will the Sexual Openness of the ‘Hook-Up’ Generation Confront the Concerns of #MeToo?

There's a chance the sexual culture being cultivated by Millennials can diminish the environment of harassment and assault that's plagued so many workplaces.

James McWilliams

Social Justice

The VA Finds That It Wrongly Denied Hundreds of Sexual Trauma Claims

Hundreds of veterans seeking treatment for sexual trauma they experienced while in the military had their claims wrongly denied by the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Jack Herrera