Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault Partners With Law Enforcement

Dr. Janet Parker DVMMedical Whistleblower

Sexual Assault
There are 198,850
sexual assaults each year
Disabled Women - rate of abuse and rape twice that of the general population of women.
545 women are raped every day
Only one in 50 women who have been raped reports the crime to the police
National Crime Victims Rights Resource Guide 2005

False Reports?
Did you know that... Less than 2 percent of the reported rape cases are found to be false.
"More people falsely report their own death than file a false report alleging sexual assault.”
It is more likely that women will not report a rape that occurred.
(Federal Bureau of Investigation statistics)

DFSA Definition
Victim is subjected to non-consensual sexual act(s) while incapacitated by alcohol and/or drugs
Effect of the
substance(s)
prevents
resistance and ability to consent

Myth: Stranger in the club or singles bar
Reality is:
Perpetrator could be a
date or a trusted “friend”
Health care provider in a medical setting
Could be a neighbor
Drug can be placed in non-alcoholic beverage
Can occur at a workplace, a church
or any social gathering

DFSA Victims
All social categories, race, ethnicity, education levels, social and economic classes, sexual orientation, religions, and physical and mental abilities.

DFSA Effects
Fear, profound
psychological
damage to victim,
serious injury, or death
Adverse long-term psychological, emotional, physical, and economic effects on all family members and affects the community at large

Statistics
1 in 6 women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime.
Among developmentally disabled adults, as many as 83% of the females and 32%
of the males are the victims of sexual assault
About 44 percent of rape victims are under age 18. One in 10 is male.

Workplace Violence
29,000 acts of rape
or sexual assault in the
workplace each year
Both an emotional and financial impact on the workplace
Victims report diminished work functioning and even loss of their employment

Criminal Profileof a Rapist
In about two-thirds of
all rape cases,
the victim knows the
assailant.
99 in 100 are male
6 in 10 are white
Average age is the early 30s

DFSA Rapists
Strongly defend their violence by denying, minimizing, blaming, justifying, and rationalizing their behavior.
Appear logical and rational when convincing others of their innocence.

Rapists Control the Victim
Rape drugs make it relatively easy for rapists to gain control of their victims. They can even make it seem as though the victim is consenting.
Drugs they administer immobilize and silence the victim.
Rapist does not have to
overcome any form of
resistance. No need for
physical force or threats.

Many Repeat Offenders
Drugs used often cause rapid loss of ability to walk –the assault very near the location of the drugging
Perpetrators target someone who can be easily “carried” home –
The Rescuer, The Helper

DFSA Rapist Criminal Profile
High functioning
Grandiose, self-absorbed
Narcissistic
Appear to be functioning well
Two groups
College students
Men > 30 years of age
Often single (never married or divorced)

Modus operandi
Good verbal social skills, “Wine and dine”
Charming, Usually not psychiatrically ill
Can quickly establish “trust”
Usually not drunk or stoned, Very much in control of the situation
Usually not violent, Often makes NO effort to hide identity
In the morning, dares her to tell someone

Act Out Fantasies
Anal sex
Ejaculate onto victim’s face,
into the mouth
Shave the victim
Dress the victim up in “special” clothes

DFSA v Coercive Rapist
General lack of violence
Clothes not torn off
No mutilation
No threats prior to the rape – maybe a threat afterwards that no one will believe her
DFSA have superb verbal skills

Clinical Psychologist Dr. Nicholas Groth
“ All sexual assault is an act of aggression, regardless of the gender or age of the victim or the assailant. Neither sexual desire nor sexual deprivation is the primary motivating force behind sexual assault. It is not about sexual gratification, but rather a sexual aggressor using somebody else as a means of expressing their own power and control”
author of Men Who Rape: The Psychology of the Offender

Serial Rapists
Drug rapists are most commonly serial rapists……..They will commit this crime again.
Rapists usually have raped approximately 14 times for each time they are caught

Two Common Presentations
Complete “loss of consciousness”
I passed out…I was gone. He could have sawed me in half and I would not know it
Fragmented memory – brief, intermittent periods of visual and/or auditory memories
I was awake some of the time but I couldn’t move. I couldn’t talk

Anterograde amnesia
Anterograde amnesia is a condition in which events that occurred during the time the drug was in effect are forgotten
May not seek help for days
Inability to recognize signs
of sexual assault
Feel powerless & out of
control

Most rapists are not caught
Only 10 percent of rapes are reported
Less than 25 percent reported rapists are arrested
3 percent arrested are charged
No more than 35 percent charged are convicted (according to FBI)

Victim’s Feelings
Anxious
Suspicious
Helpless
Frustrated
Guilty

Support the Victim
Believe the person when
they tell you that they
believe they were drugged.
Do not fault them for what they may have done before, during, or after.

Misjudging and MinimizingVictims’ Trauma
Because most victims
of drug-facilitated rapes have
no memory of the sexual
assault, people may
mistakenly minimize the trauma
Victims feel powerlessness, and humiliated by not knowing what was done to them.

Secondary Victimization
Inappropriate actions by others can so closely mimic victims' experiences at the hands of their assailants
“The second rape" or "the second assault."

Emergency Care
You or someone you
know believes that
they have been given
a drug and are unsure what has happened to them …………..
Get them to the ER and
Request to be tested!

Delayed Reports
Delayed reports also are common, particularly in acquaintance rapes.
The majority of mental health professionals surveyed (84%) agreed that contact with social service providers re-traumatizes rape victims.

PTSD
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is a normal emotional and psychological reaction to trauma (a painful, shocking experience such as rape, war or a natural disaster) that is outside of a person's normal life experiences.

Recovery Takes Time
Survivors recover in stages.
Each person processes the event his or her / his own way.
Survivors need a safe environment to work through their fears.

Mind Rape
The surreptitious
drugging of a victim is,
in and of itself, a cruel and criminal violation of the person.
There are estimates that as many as 62% of all rapes are facilitated with drugs.
University of Illinois at Chicago Sam Hostettler May 2006

Rapists Can Appear to BeRescuers
Victim may appear drunk or impaired and the rapist taking the victim to another place may appear to onlookers as assisting an impaired person.
While the victim is still under the effects of the drug which may last 72 hours, the rapist has plenty of time to create a plausible cover story.

Drugs Used to Rape
Ethanol
Amphetamines: Methamphetamine MDMA-Ecstacy
Benzodiazepines: Alprazolam Clonazepam Chlordiazepoxide Diazepam Flunitrazepam Flurazepam Lorazepam Triazolam
Cocaine
Marijuana

Muscle Relaxants: Carisoprodol Cyclobenzaprine Meprobamate
Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB)
Antihistamines: Diphenhydramine
Scopolamine
Zolpidem
Chloral Hydrate
Opiates
Ketamine

Most Rapes Involve Alcohol
75% of men
50% of women
had been
drinking at the
time.

Street Terms for “Club Drugs”

Gay Drug Scene
According to recent study …..
70% of gay men attending circuit parties in Seattle use drugs
GHB is widely accessible
Meth use is escalating
Hanne Thiede, DVM, MPH. Clinical Assistant Professor, Epidemiology

METH and SEX
Meth causes the
release of dopamine,
the brain's pleasure
chemical, which makes
sex more pleasurable, which heightens the desire for the drug, which speeds the physiological addiction.
Sexual desire and craving for the drug become psychologically intertwined.
Meth increases violent sexual behavior

Male Rape
Rape is a violent crime
that affects
heterosexual men
as much as gay men
Lack of sympathy
Lack of support
Victim’s concern for being perceived as homosexual

Did you know that...
Women can sexually assault other women?
Lesbian domestic violence often includes lesbian rape?
Lesbian rape is almost always unreported?
It is estimated that 1 out of 3 lesbians have been sexually assaulted by another woman.
GHB/GBL, meth and Ecstacy use by Lesbians increasing

Window for Testing
Remember, each
of the drugs metabolize
at various rates
GHB 12 hours
Ketamine for up to 48 hours
Rohypnol for up to 72 hours.

Ketamine
Not legal to possess for personal use in the United States, because its legitimate use is as a veterinary anesthetic or animal tranquilizer

Effects of Ketamine
Dissociation of the mind from the body
Produces similar side-effects to LSD or PCP
Hallucinations and feelings as through they have entered another reality
Amnesia which may make recollection nearly impossible

Additional Effects - Ketamine
Small doses block the bodies pain response, causing self-injury
Larger doses lower the
heart-rate, leading to
oxygen depletion of the
brain and muscles
Overdoses can cause the heart to stop beating and, possibly, temporary paralysis

Duration of Effects - Ketamine
Immediate effects may only last an hour or less, but person's senses, judgment, and coordination may be affected for 18 to 24 hours.
Tests can detect Ketamine in a person's system up to 48 hours of ingestion.

GHB
GHB (gamma-hydroxybutyrate) exists under many names. Although initially thought to build muscle, it has quickly become the rapist's drug of choice.

GHB Physical Characteristics
Clear, syrupy liquid
White powder form,
like laundry detergent
Tastes unpleasant, salty, and
plastic-eque, and has a mild odor.

Duration of Effects
The symptoms of GHB peak may peak in as few as 15 minutes and last from 3 to 6 hours.

Extremely intoxicated
Impaired judgment.

Other Effects GHB
Nausea, vomiting
Uncontrollable twitching
Violent, aggressive behavior
Extreme drowsiness, weakness
Reduced muscle-tone, blood pressure and respiratory rate
Dizziness and confusion
Hypothermia and seizure-like activity
Suppression of the Gag Reflex and coma/death

Sexual Effects
GHB may cause
enhanced sexual
feelings by the victim
Victim may participate in reciprocal acts, as a result of the drug, rather than free will.

Oral Ulcers
Homemade batches of GBH can have high pH levels
cause internal burns.
Vomiting burns the
"second-time round"

Duration of Effects
GHB - in the blood
stream for only
4 - 7 hours.
GHB in urine stream - up to 12 hours after ingestion.
Delayed reports – loss of precious evidence
(National Drug Intelligence Center)

Rohypnol
Rohypnol is the trade name for the drug flunitrazepam, a benzodiazepine (central nervous system depressant) like Valium, yet 10 times more potent.
Outside the United States, Rohypnol is legally manufactured by Hoffman-LaRoche, Inc., and is available by prescription

Duration of Effects
Rohypnol - begin within 15 to 20 minutes may persist for more than 12 hours.
Detectable in urine for up to 72 hours after ingestion.

Effects of Rohypnol
Headaches
Memory impairment
Dizziness
Nightmares
Confusion
Tremors
Aggression and/or excitability
Slowing of psychomotor performance
Muscle relaxation
Decreased blood pressure
Drowsiness
Amnesia

MDMA - Ecstasy
3,4- methylenedioxymethamphetamine
Adam, Ecstasy, XTC, E, and X
Stimulant and low-level hallucinogen
MDMA is generally taken orally in tablet or capsule form.

MDMA Psychological Effects
Confusion
Depression
Sleeplessness
Anxiety
Paranoia
Long-term, even permanent brain damage
Memory loss

MDMA Physical Effects
Muscle tension
Involuntary teeth clenching
Blurred vision
Increased HR
Increased BP
Kidney Failure
Cardiovascular Failure
Seizure
Stroke

Legal Response
DFSA - rape achieved
with a weapon
(that is, the drug).
The drug is a weapon that is actively employed or used by a perpetrator to ensure submission thus taking away the victim’s capacity to consent.

“Real Rape”
Rape allegation
is supported by a
positive toxicology test.
Forensic evidence of
a CNS depressant as
the weapon used to
overcome resistance
ultimately signals a lack of consent.

Negative Test???
But a negative toxicology report often just means that we didn’t get the evidence taken soon enough, for a variety of reasons.
This is still rape!!!!

Memory Loss
Victim may remember little
Victim's account has many missing parts
Recall difficult - may cause victim extreme anxiety

WITNESS STATEMENTS
Persons who saw the victim, or spoke to the victim, before, during and after the assault are critical witnesses.
Witnesses establish -
time frames
notice unusual
behavior
identify potential sources

Variable Effects
May at some point render a victim unconscious but not always
Depending on which drug is used and/or the amount given, the victim may appear to participate or may even appear to be the aggressor early on in the attack.

SIGNS THAT YOU MAY HAVE BEEN DRUGGED
Feeling a lot more intoxicated than you normally would, having consumed no more alcohol than usual.
Feeling "fuzzy", waking up very hung over, unable to account for a period of time, or memory lapse.
Feeling as though someone had sex with you but you can't remember any or all of the incident.
Remembering taking a drink but having difficulty recalling what happened after drinking

Reducing the Risk
Don't leave drinks unattended
Don't take any drink from someone you don't know well and trust
Don't drink anything that has an unusual taste or appearance (i.e. salty taste, unexplained residue, excessive foam)
Don't accept open container drinks
Watch bartenders make your drink
Don't drink beverages that you didn't open yourself
Bring your own drink or watch your drink being poured
If you realize that your drink has been left unattended, discard it
Don't share or exchange dinks with others

Testing Negative
“The victim claims she was drugged and raped, but they tested her for ‘date rape drugs’ and there weren’t any. So, it wasn’t a drug rape.”
That statement
mis-states the reality
of the typical drug rape.

GHB often not Detected
Some drugs stay for a couple of days, but GHB, the most popular for obvious reasons, very quickly dissipates from the system.
Hospitals can’t even
test for GHB.

No Screening Test
There is no “screening test” for GHB; it requires a confirmation test that hospitals cannot do and crime labs only do upon specific request

Police Response
Training for first line
responders should include:
The drugs utilized in sexual assaults
the variety of drugs that are used
what to look for in terms of crime scene evidence.

Police Response
Unable to give a complete narrative, victims often encounter suspicion, disbelief, and/or frustration.
This inability compounds their sense of helplessness.

DUI
The victim may appear intoxicated or "hung-over“ and be arrested for DUI.
Refusing to allow the rape kit to be taken is tantamount to the officer destroying evidence.

Difficulties in Investigation
Many aspects of a rape investigation are facilitated by a victim’s ability to describe what happened.
The victim’s narrative helps
guide the medical/evidentiary examination and the police investigation.

Prosecutor’s Training
Drugs used and how
they are employed
How to investigate these cases
Forensic evidence
How to best use expert witnesses

Rape Victim Rights
You have the right to determine whether or not
you want to report the sexual assault to
law enforcement.You have the right to report the crime, but not proceed with prosecution. However if the prosecutor's office proceeds with the case, you may be subpoenaed. You have the right to reasonable protection by the law. You have the right to be treated in a considerate and sensitive manner by law enforcement and medical personnel. You have the right to request copies of police reports regarding the assault. You have the right not to be exposed to prejudice because of age, race, class, lifestyle, or occupation. You have the right to be considered a rape survivor regardless of the relationship of the assailant to you (i.e. acquaintance, relative, spouse doctor, therapist, clergy or employer.)

Contact
Dr. Janet Parker DVM
P.O. Box C
Lawrence, KS 66044
MedicalWhistleblower@gmail.com

Drug Facilitated Sexual Assault Partners With Law Enforcement

by MedicalWhistleblower on Aug 22, 2009

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