NCJ Number
152224
Date Published
1994
Length
82 pages
Annotation
This report compiles recent statistics on the incidence of sexual assault reported to Canadian police forces and describes the criminal justice response to these crimes.
Abstract
In 1983, rape reform legislation was passed in Canada, replacing the offenses of indecent assault and rape with the new offense of sexual assault. The introductory chapter also discusses public knowledge of, and attitudes toward, sexual assault in Canada. The second chapter of this report outlines statistics on sexual assault derived from the aggregate and revised Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) databases. The statistical analysis focuses on incidents of sexual assault, clearance rates, attrition, offender and victim characteristics and the victim-offender relationship, use of weapons or force, and degree of physical injury to the victim. The report draws comparisons between the crimes of sexual assault and other serious personal injury offenses. The final chapter deals with sentencing trends for crimes of sexual aggression, highlights statistics regarding sentence length and severity, and compares sentences at the trial court level and statutory maxima. 56 tables, chapter references