ol, and that she slept around (31). Police who are extremely negative also affect the victim's decisions. A study in Denver found that 38% of rape accusers withdrew their charges soon after filing them (31). Among reasons given was police resistance to prosecuting the case. It was investigated to see which variables were correlated with the victim's willingness to prosecute. It was concluded that the perpetrator's use of a weapon and the presence of a witness to the rape were important factors in both acquaintance and stranger rape cases (32). To explain this finding, it was said that detectives influence the woman's decision to prosecute. If no weapon was used, and no witnesses exist, the police may feel that the prosecution would be futile (32). In order to decrease the number of unsolved crimes on his record, a detective may attempt to dissuade the woman from pressing charges (32). In Michigan, a study of the impact of comprehensive rape law reforms found that the rate of unfoundings remained stable (less than 10%) after passage of the reforms (34). Between 1973 and 1977, arrests for forcible rape rose by 61%, compared with 16% increases for both murder and aggravated assault and with robbery, which showed a decline of 8% (34). Although the increased number of arrests was a predictable result of increased reporting coupled with a stable unfounding rate, it is concluded that the rising arrest rate was also influenced by Michigan's strong rape law reformsPromiscuity is perhaps the most effective charge that a rape defendant can level against his accuser. Prior to the rape shield laws, courts generally regarded the woman's 'character for chastity', her propensity to engage in non-marital discourse, as relevant to whether she had consented (67). Modern rape scholars will argue that the sexual history evidence is irrelevant and prejudicial. They maintain that the complainant's sexual history has little or no tendency to show ...
