Rape Law and the Judicial Process

Abstract

When we hear that someone has been raped, the commonsense understanding of that expression is that a person, usually a woman, has been forced to have intercourse. But what is the legal definition of rape? Are there different degrees of rape? What about sodomy, fellatio, cunnilingus? If a woman is forced to commit these acts, is that “rape” as well? What is indecent assault and battery? Does the age of the victim or the rapist make any difference? At law, can males be raped as well? In order to answer these questions, it is necessary to explain briefly the evolutionary process of Anglo-American law.