Summary of the impact

Legislation, policy and practice surrounding the criminal justice response to rape in Scotland have been profoundly influenced by the work of Professor Michele Burman. Her research directly informed the Sexual Offences (Procedure and Evidence) (Scotland) Act 2002, and continues to influence policy and practice guidance. Her research on rape attrition/conviction rates informed changes to investigative/prosecutorial responses. Her work was drawn on in the Scottish Law Commission's review of the law of rape and informed the subsequent Sexual Offences 2009 Act which introduced radical changes to the definitions of rape and of consent. Burman's research has been adopted by Rape Crisis Scotland in national campaigns, and crucially informed training materials for the judiciary in Scotland and abroad.

Summary of the impact

This case study focuses on two related areas: the issue of violence against female students and how this is framed by `lad culture' in higher education (HE). It documents five areas where Alison Phipps' research has either directly led or indirectly contributed to change:

• work with the National Union of Students (NUS) which has informed their policies and interventions;
• improved public and policy understanding of the issues of violence against female students and `lad culture' in UK HE;
• Students' Unions and other groups adopting `zero-tolerance' policies in relation to sexual harassment and abuse and attempting to tackle aspects of `lad culture';
• institutions developing procedural frameworks around reporting and addressing violence against female students; and
• governmental, public and third-sector organisations including students as a key demographic in their policies and initiatives around violence against women.

Summary of the impact

The research of Prof Jennifer Temkin on rape myths and stereotypes has influenced the way in which rape trials are conducted and drawn the attention of participants in the criminal trial process to the dangers of stereotyping victims and defendants.

The effects of Temkin's research include:

• bringing about change to the instructions given by judges to juries in rape trials; see the revised guidance introduced by the Crown Court Benchbook used universally by the relevant judges;
• training prosecutors, advocates and judges in rape myths and the risks of stereotyping;
• raising public awareness about rape myths and stimulating media debate around rape, sexual stereotyping and the assumptions made about victims and alleged perpetrators of sexual offences; and
• informing government policy on measures relating to rape investigations.

Summary of the impact

The impact of the research has been firstly, in informing the creation of a new kind of domestic violence court and secondly, in alerting domestic and European policy-makers to the problem of women rough sleepers which was previously effectively "invisible."

Short summary of the case study

The case study emerged from research conducted by the Central Institute for the Study of Public Protection and its predecessors (Policy Research Institute and Regional Research Institute). It informed the development of specialist domestic violence courts in the UK and brought to the attention of European and domestic policy-makers the plight of victims of domestic violence many of whom find themselves compelled to sleep rough, but do so in ways that result in them remaining invisible to the authorities.