TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose Sexual misconduct (sexual assault and sexual harassment) in the US military is a long-standing problem. The military has implemented many policies and programs to address sexual misconduct in its ranks. The purpose of this paper is to examine how the processes of military sexual misconduct policy and programs have evolved since the 1940s.Design/methodology/approach Punctuated equilibrium and multiple streams theories were the guiding frameworks for this process analysis of the policies and programs implemented to address military sexual misconduct based on existing literature, news media and press.Findings Three punctuations are found in military sexual misconduct policy that demonstrate large-scale departures from the periods of equilibrium as the result of either a significant sexual misconduct allegation or new survey findings revealing sexual misconduct prevalence rates. In between these major-issue defining events, incremental policy change has occurred resulting in a period of stasis or return to the status quo requiring correction. Despite returns to stasis, each policy punctuation has built on the prior punctuation, generating new military directives, policies and programs.Originality/value Using the lenses of punctuated equilibrium and multiple stream theories, this paper shows how the processes of US military sexual misconduct policies and programs have evolved. The US military and militaries globally can utilize these policy frameworks to help predict future patterns of military sexual misconduct and improve responses to these problems.
VL  - 39
IS  - 3/4
SN  - 0144-333X
DO  - 10.1108/IJSSP-07-2018-0114
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-07-2018-0114
AU  - Arnold Chelsea Sandra Lee
PY  - 2018
Y1  - 2018/01/01
TI  - Examining United States military sexual misconduct policy processes
T2  - International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy
PB  - Emerald Publishing Limited
SP  - 235
EP  - 249
Y2  - 2024/04/25
ER  -