Katharine K. Baker

About the author: Katharine K. Baker is an assistant professor of law at Chicago-Kent College of Law.

College administrative bodies charged with punishing convicted date rapists should use shame sanctions as an alternative to suspensions and expulsions. This form of punishment would require the rapist to wear a badge indicating that he had been found guilty of raping another student and would preclude him from participation in extracurricular activities. Singled out as a disgrace before the entire student body, the offender would readily understand that his behavior had deeply offended community norms. Potential rapists might also think twice before bringing similar scorn upon themselves. Because millions of people attend college in the United States, instituting shame sanctions for rapists will reformulate the rules of sexual interaction and begin a...