End the Exclusion (New York City)
In New York State, if someone chooses to have a drink and then is later a victim of sexual assualt, the rape statute does not apply. This exclusion was created in the 1990s when “date-rape” drugs became prevalent. Legislators aimed to criminalize rape cases where the victims were unwillingly intoxicated by their assailants.
Out of every 100 cases of rape in the U.S, 12 lead to an arrest, 9 are prosecuted, and only 5 lead to a felony conviction (RAINN).
In the Manhattan district attorney’s office, prosecutors dropped 49 percent of sexual assault cases in 2019.
The Cura Collective has launched an awareness campaign to eliminate the Voluntary Intoxication Exclusion in order to focus rape queries on the defendant’s actions, eliminate victim-blaming, and bring survivors under the protection of our justice system.
Learn more about the Voluntary Intoxication Exclusion Coalition here.