Analysis of 5,000 forgotten rape kits reveals unexpectedly high number of serial rapists 对被遗忘的五千套强奸取证套件的分析显示连环强奸犯的数目远超预期 Kits are used in hospitals to collect forensic and other evidence from vicims of sexual assaults

取证套件是医务人员从性侵受害者身上提取法医学或其他证据时所使用的一套工具。

作者:Will Worley @ 2016-6-7

译者:Eartha(@王小贰_Eartha)

校对:Drunkplane(@Drunkplane-zny)

来源:The Independent, http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/analysis-5000-forgotten-rape-kits-serial-rapists-a7068761.html Serial rapists are far more common than previously thought, analysis of 5,000 rape kits dating back more than 20 years has revealed.

专家对过去二十多年的5000套取证套件进行了研究，结果显示连环强奸犯的存在比人们过去想象的远为普遍。

Scientists in Ohio, United States, announced their findings after testing the backlog of rape kits, which were used between 1993 and 2010.

1993-2010年间使用过的一些强奸案取证套件一直积压着，美国俄亥俄州的科学家们对它们进行测试之后，公布了他们的研究结果。

Analysis of the kits – used to collect evidence from the victims of sexual attacks - has given the researchers greater insight into the behaviour of sexual predators.

这些取证套件用于从性侵犯受害者那里收集证据，对它们进行分析可以使研究者们进一步加深对性犯罪者行为的理解。

More than 250 people have already been convicted of sexual offences as a result of the tests and investigators expect the prosecutions to continue.

测试结果已经使得超过250人因性侵犯被定罪，调查人员希望对案件的起诉能够持续下去。

The Cuyahoga County Sexual Assault Kit Task Force – a multidisciplinary body dedicated to following up sexual assault cases stemming from the untested kits – worked with the Begun Centre for Violence Prevention Research and Education at Case Western Reserve University, who study violence and its prevention, to gain an insight into patterns revealed by the kits.

俄亥俄州凯霍加县性侵犯取证套件工作组是一个涵盖多学科的组织，致力于追踪由未测试的取证套件所牵连出的性侵犯案件。他们与研究暴力行为及其预防的凯斯西储大学贝贡犯罪预防研究与教育中心合作，希望能对取证套件披露出的犯罪行为模式有所发现。

Starting in 2014, the task force say the discovery that serial rapists are much more common than previous studies have suggested could change the way sexual assaults are investigated.

自2014年起，工作组开始公布他们的发现，连环强奸犯远比过往研究认为的更加普遍。这可能会改变性侵犯案件的调查方式。

Of 243 sexual assaults studied, 51 per cent were tied to serial offenders, who tended to have more extensive and violent criminal histories than one-off sexual offenders.

在被研究的243起性侵犯案件中，51%的案件涉及连环犯罪者。相比于单次作案者，他们往往会有更为严重和暴力的犯罪历史。

“Our findings suggest it is very likely that a sexual offender has either previously sexually assaulted or will offend again in the future,” said Rachel Lovell, senior research associate at the Begun Centre.

“我们的发现表明，一名性犯罪者非常有可能不是曾经实施过性侵犯，就是会在将来重犯。”贝贡中心的高级研究员Rachel Lovell这样说到。

“Investigating each sexual assault as possibly perpetrated by a serial offender has the potential to reduce the number of sexual assaults if investigations focus more on the offender than on single incidents.”

“调查一起性侵犯案件时，如果将犯罪者当作潜在的连环作案者来考虑，并将重点集中于侵害者而非将之作为单一事件调查，这有可能会减少性侵犯案件的数量。”

The researchers also found many rapists have long criminal histories, often beginning before their first documented sexual assault and continuing after it. Seventy-four per cent of serial rapists were found to have been arrested before the sexual attack and 95 per cent had been arrested afterwards. In contrast, for one-off rapists, the figures were 51 per cent and 78 per cent respectively.

研究者还发现，很多的强奸犯有很长的犯罪历史，通常在他们第一次登记在案的性侵犯发生之前就已开始，并且在之后继续犯下罪行。74%的连环强奸犯曾在实施性侵之前（因犯罪而）被捕，而有95%的人在此之后又被逮捕。相比之下，单次作案的强奸犯对应的两个比例分别是51%与78%。【 译注：他们之前或之后被捕的原因可能不是性侵犯，或者相隔时间较长，所以他们仍被归为“单次作案者”。 】

The different types of offenders were also found to behave differently during the course of their crimes, the researchers said.

不同类型的犯罪者在犯罪过程中的行为表现亦不相同，研究者们说。

Sexual assaults committed by serial offenders more frequently involved kidnapping victims and threatening them, the researchers found. Serial offenders were also less likely to be known to their victim.

研究者发现，连环作案者实施的性侵犯案件中更频繁地出现绑架与威胁受害者的情况，并且他们更可能不太与受害者相熟。

But sexual assaults committed by serial offenders less frequently involved restraining victims and injuring them in order to complete the attack. However, one-off offenders were more likely to punch, slap, hold down or restrain a victim.

但是连环作案者实施的性侵犯案件中较少涉及控制受害者以及为了完成侵犯而实施的伤害行为。而单次作案者更可能会殴打、掌掴、压制或控制受害者。

One-off offenders were more likely to attack in their own house or the house of the victim. However, 58 per cent of serial offenders committed all of their crimes in the same type of setting, such as a vehicle.

单次作案者更可能在他们自己或受害者的家里作案，而58%的连环作案者选择在同样的环境下实施犯罪，比如在车里。

The researchers also said one-off offenders were more likely than serial offenders to commit sexual assaults with others, such as participating in gang rapes.

研究者还说，单次作案者比连环作案者更可能与他人一起实施性侵犯，比如参与轮奸。

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