Allegations of sexual assault and sexual harassment by prominent entertainment and media figures and politicians in the United States have brought renewed attention to a political debate that earlier had been focused on universities and the military: the apparent failure of institutions to address and punish cases of sexual assault by their members. In light of this debate, we consider how cases fare in an institution that is perennially accused of gender bias and of tolerating rape: the US military. Through the analysis of 585 sexual assault report summaries from the US military bases in Japan, we find that the military often tries to punish cases of sexual assault. However, many cases do not have sufficient evidence for prosecution as sexual assault cases. Low conviction rates at court-martial for reported sexual assaults may indicate systemic problems with the nature of the cases themselves and the circumstances in which the cases arise. Low conviction rates may also reflect the military’s legal mandate to prioritize mission, and its legal system’s multiple options for addressing crime outside of trial procedures. Case characteristics interact with the primary concerns of command authority and complainants, within a highly institutionalized, closed context, to affect the military’s handling and disposition of reported sexual assault cases.

中文翻译：

---

军法和制度性问题在军队性侵案件处理中的作用

美国著名的娱乐和媒体人物以及政治家对性侵犯和性骚扰的指控重新引起了人们对早先集中在大学和军队的政治辩论的关注：机构在处理和惩罚性案件方面明显失败受到其成员的攻击。鉴于这场辩论，我们考虑在一个常年被指控存在性别偏见和容忍强奸的机构中的案件情况：美国军队。通过对驻日美军基地的585份性侵报告摘要的分析，我们发现军方经常试图惩罚性侵案件。然而，许多案件没有足够的证据作为性侵犯案件起诉。军事法庭对报告的性侵犯的低定罪率可能表明案件本身的性质和案件发生的情况存在系统性问题。低定罪率也可能反映了军方优先执行任务的法律授权，以及其法律体系在审判程序之外处理犯罪的多种选择。在高度制度化、封闭的环境中，案件特征与指挥当局和投诉人的主要关注点相互作用，从而影响军方对报告的性侵犯案件的处理和处置。及其法律制度在审判程序之外处理犯罪的多种选择。在高度制度化、封闭的环境中，案件特征与指挥当局和投诉人的主要关注点相互作用，从而影响军方对报告的性侵犯案件的处理和处置。及其法律制度在审判程序之外处理犯罪的多种选择。在高度制度化、封闭的环境中，案件特征与指挥当局和投诉人的主要关注点相互作用，从而影响军方对报告的性侵犯案件的处理和处置。