How rape cases get dropped
强奸案是如何被撤销的？
The #MeToo movement led to heightened awareness of the prevalence of sexual assault, an increase in reports to police and a new hope that people accused would be more frequently held accountable. But in New York City, statistics and the accounts of women who say they were attacked suggest that little has changed about the way the criminal justice system grapples with rape accusations.
#MeToo 运动让人们更加深入地认识到性侵的普遍性，使报案数量增加，也让人们开始抱有希望，相信遭到指控的人将更有可能被追究责任。但是在纽约市，统计数据和那些声称自己遭到侵害的女性的叙述表明，刑事司法系统处理强奸指控的方式几乎没有改变。
In the Manhattan District Attorney's Office, prosecutors dropped 49% of sexual assault cases in 2019. The low prosecution rate partly reflects the inherent challenges of prosecuting sexual assault, particularly cases in which the attacker is not a stranger and alcohol is involved. But some who study the matter believe the high drop rate also reflects prosecutors' unwillingness to tackle those challenges.
在曼哈顿地方检察官办公室，检察官在 2019 年撤销了 49% 的性侵案件。起诉率低在一定程度上反映出了性侵案件起诉的固有挑战，尤其是性侵者不是陌生人且涉及酒精的案件。但一些研究该问题的人士认为，撤案率高也反映出检察官不愿应对这些挑战。
Facing protests over his office's handling of sexual assault cases, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. commissioned a study of his sex crimes bureau. The study, completed in November, found that prosecutors "do not always fully explore alternative ways of achieving a just result," like bringing different charges or searching for more evidence.
由于曼哈顿地方检察官办公室处理性侵案件的方式饱受诟病，曼哈顿地方检察官小塞勒斯·万斯（音）委托（其他机构）对旗下性犯罪科进行了一项调查。这项调查于 11 月完成。调查发现，检察官“并非总会充分探索实现公正结果的其他途径”，比如提出不同的指控或寻找更多的证据。
The study, based on interviews with prosecutors, police investigators, victims and others, described a perception that decisions about which cases to pursue were based on the likelihood of a conviction and that more challenging cases — such as those that involved acquaintances or intoxication — were often rejected. The report also found that some of those interviewed believed that prosecutors "default to disbelieving victims" until they prove their credibility.
这项研究基于对检察官、警方调查人员、受害人和其他人的访谈，其中表达出一种看法，即（检察官）决定追查哪些案件，取决于定罪的可能性，而更具挑战性的案件——例如涉及熟人或醉酒的案件——往往被驳回。报告还发现，一些接受采访的人认为，除非受害人能够证明自己可信，否则检察官“默认不相信受害人”。
Responding to ongoing public criticism, Vance has implemented trainings for the bureau centered on the effects of trauma on victims and on alcohol-facilitated rape, said Audrey Moore, a first assistant district attorney.
第一助理地方检察官奥黛丽·摩尔（音）说，为了应对公众持续不断的批评，万斯对该科进行了培训，培训重点在于创伤对受害者的影响以及酒精促成的性侵。
主编：Jojo、Seika
品控：Jojo
审核：Felicity
重点词汇
prevalence
/ˈprev.əl.əns/
n. 普遍
相关词汇：prevalent（adj. 盛行的，普遍的）
例句：Neck pain is prevalent among office workers.
assault
/əˈsɑːlt/
n. 袭击，攻击
英文释义：to leap upon
词义辨析：assault，attack
assault 比 attack 更加暴力，而且常常涉及对人身的侵犯。
搭配短语：sexual assault
hold sb. accountable
认为某人应该负责，唯某人是问
例句：He may have had a terrible childhood, but he should still be held accountable for his own actions.
justice
/ˈdʒʌs.tɪs/
n. 司法制度，法律制裁；公正
例句：The killer will be brought to justice.
grapple with
努力克服某个困难，解决某个问题
相关词汇：grapple（v. 扭打，搏斗；努力克服或解决）
词义辨析：grapple with sth.，deal with sth.
相比 deal with sth.，grapple with sth. 更能凸显出一种比较费劲的感觉。
例句：She's grappling with her maths homework.
prosecutor
/ˈprɑː.sə.kjuː.t̬ɚ/
n. 检察官
相关词汇：prosecute（v. 对某人提起公诉）
例句：He was prosecuted for fraud.
inherent
/ɪnˈhɪr.ənt/
adj. 内在的，固有的
拓展发音：/ɪnˈher.ənt/
词根词缀：in-（表示“里面，内在”）
词根词缀：here（表示“黏附”）
相关词汇：adhere（v. 黏附，附着）
例句：The love of beauty is inherent in human nature.
commission
/kəˈmɪʃ.ən/
v. 委托
词性拓展：commission（n. 委员会）
例句：Princes William and Harry have commissioned a statue of their late mother, Princess Diana.
相关词汇：late（adj. 已故的）
搭配短语：commission sb. to do sth.
例句：They have commissioned an artist to create a statue of their late mother.
pursue
/pɚˈsuː/
v. 追查，追究；追赶，追捕；追求
例句：She was pursued by reporters for interviews.（追赶）
例句：He's been pursuing her for months. （追求）
例句：She wishes to pursue a medical career. （追求，从事）
例句：We will not be pursuing this matter any further. （追究）
conviction
/kənˈvɪk.ʃən/
n. 定罪，判罪
相关词汇：convict（v. 宣判……有罪）
搭配短语：a convicted murderer
例句：He has no previous convictions.
intoxication
/ɪnˌtɑːk.səˈkeɪ.ʃən/
n. 醉酒的状态
相关词汇：intoxicate（v. 使中毒；（酒或毒品）使人麻醉）
词根词缀：tox（表示“毒”）
相关词汇：toxic（adj. 有毒的）
词义辨析：drunk，intoxicated
intoxicated 和 drunk 都可以表示“喝醉的”。一个人喝醉了，可以说 He is drunk. 也可以说 He is intoxicated.，但 intoxicated 比 drunk 更加正式一些。
例句：Intoxication interferes with memory and thinking.
default
/dɪˈfɑːlt/
v. 默认，预设
搭配短语：default to sth.
例句：The font defaults to Song Ti.
credibility
/ˌkred.əˈbɪl.ə.t̬i/
n. 可信度
相关词汇：credible（adj. 可信的）
例句：Few people found his story credible.
相关词汇：creditable（adj. 值得赞扬的，值得称道的）
例句：They put in very creditable performances.
相关短语：put in sth.（（以某种方式）做某事（尤指戏剧、电影、比赛等中的表现））
例句：His credibility was damaged in the scandal.
ongoing
/ˈɑːnˌɡoʊ.ɪŋ/
adj. 持续存在的，继续进行的
相关短语：go on（发生，持续）
搭配短语：the ongoing coronavirus pandemic
trauma
/ˈtrɑː.mə/
n.（心理、精神上的）创伤；外伤
例句：The patient suffered severe brain trauma.（患者的大脑受到严重损伤。）
搭配短语：the trauma of marriage breakdown（婚姻破裂带来的心理创伤）