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British Journal of Criminology Advance Access originally published online on July 29, 2009
British Journal of Criminology 2009 49(6):848-862; doi:10.1093/bjc/azp049
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The British Journal of Criminology 49:848-862 (2009)
© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Centre for Crime and Justice Studies (ISTD). All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Embodying Uncertainty?

Understanding Heightened Risk Perception of Drink ‘Spiking’

Adam Burgess, Pamela Donovan and Sarah E. H. Moore*

* School of Sociology, Social Policy, and Social Work, Queen's University, Belfast, UK; s.moore{at}qub.ac.uk; Senior Lecturer at University of Kent, UK; Associate Professor at Bloomsburg University, USA; Lecturer at Queen's University, Belfast, UK.


  Abstract

There is a stark contrast between heightened perceptions of risk associated with drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) and a lack of evidence that this is a widespread threat. Through surveys and interviews with university students in the United Kingdom and United States, we explore knowledge and beliefs about drink-spiking and the linked threat of sexual assault. University students in both locations are not only widely sensitized to the issue, but substantial segments claim first- or second-hand experience of particular incidents. We explore students’ understanding of the DFSA threat in relationship to their attitudes concerning alcohol, binge-drinking, and responsibility for personal safety. We suggest that the drink-spiking narrative has a functional appeal in relation to the contemporary experience of young women's public drinking.

Key Words: drug-facilitated sexual assault • uncertainty • personal safety • drugs • alcohol • universities


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