The social construction of rape in the talk of a convicted rapist

The study used a discursive approach to explore the rape narratives of a co nvicted rapist. These narratives were recounted during the group therapy se ssions of a prison-based Sex Offender Treatment Programme (SOTP). The analy sis suggested that the offender drew on two main practical ideologies (Weth erell et al., 1987) in recounting his version(s) of the rape. These practic al ideologies, which often embodied popular rape myths, served to construct the incident as ambiguous. In particular, this ambiguity called into quest ion whether the incident constituted rape or consensual sexual intercourse. These findings lend support to feminist writers' assertions that there is no clear distinction between rape and sex. The implications of the research for sex offender treatment programmes are discussed.