Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

University Crime Alerts: Do They Contribute To Institutional Betrayal And Rape Myths?, Alexis A. Adams-Clark, Carly P. Smith, Prachi H. Bhuptani, Jennifer J. Freyd

Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence

Universities are mandated by the Clery Act (20 USC § 1092(f)) to publicize the occurrence of certain campus crimes. Many universities rely on “Crime Alert” emails to quickly and effectively communicate when a crime has occurred. However, communications of sexual crimes are often narrow (e.g., limited to stranger-perpetrated crimes) and misleading (e.g., containing safety tips that are not applicable to most types of sexual violence). The current paper presents the results of two studies that test the effects of reading crime alert emails on subsequent endorsement of rape myths and institutional betrayal. In Study 1, participants read a typical crime …