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Prosecuting Sexual Assault: The Pre-Arrest Screening Process and itsImplicationCassia Spohn, Arizona State University (cassia.spohn@asu.edu)Research on prosecutorial decisions in sexual assault cases focuses on the post-arrest chargingdecision. This reflects an assumption on the part of researchers that law enforcement will arrest asuspect if they have probable cause to do so and that they then will present the case to theprosecutor for a formal charging decision. Research on sexual assault case processing decisionsin Los Angeles revealed that prosecutors play a role in screening cases prior to the arrest of thesuspect. In this jurisdiction, law enforcement officials who have probable cause to make an arrestoften present the case to the district attorney and, if the district attorney determines that the casedoes not meet the standard of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, they then clear the case byexceptional means. In this paper, I present data on the prevalence of pre-arrest screening and Idiscuss the explanations given by detectives and district attorneys for this practice. I also identifythe predictors of prosecutors’ pre- and post-arrest filing decisions and discuss the implications ofthe pre-arrest screening process and the overuse of the exceptional clearance.155. Sexual Assault and ViolenceSex, Power, and Sexism in Sexual AggressionEmily Blake, University of Kent (eab28@kent.ac.uk)Several studies have found an automatic power-sex association in sexually aggressive men (e.g.,Bargh, Raymond, Pryor & Strack, 1995). This lends support to theorists who propose that a needfor dominance and power are motivating factors for harmful sexual behaviour. Furthermore,evidence of such an automatic link provides evidence that non-concious processes may play arole in the offence process. However, in a study designed to assess the strength of an automaticlink between power and sex in rape prone men, we instead found a relationship in the oppositedirection. This link was related to high levels of endorsement of rape supportive beliefs andsexual dominance. This indicates that men who report sexual dominance, and who endorse highlevels of rape supportive beliefs tend to associate weakness with sex, rather than power with sex.We propose that this unusual finding may represent an interaction between sexism, rapesupportive beliefs, and sexual dominance. We hypothesise that the stimuli in our study designedto represent weakness as a concept may be interpreted by some males as a representation oftraditional gender roles, or attributes sexually dominant men look for in a partner. Thesehypotheses are explored in terms of feminist theories of rape and more contemporary sociocognitivetheories. Finally, results are discussed with references to further research as well astreatment implications.365