FORCIBLE RAPE IN THE UNITED STATES - A STATISTICAL PROFILE (FROM FORCIBLE RAPE - THE CRIME, THE VICTIM, AND THE OFFENDER, 1977 BY DUNCAN CHAPPELL, ROBLEY GEIS, AND GILBERT GEIS - SEE NCJ-43432)

• NCJ Number: 43433
• Author(s): M J HINDELANG; B J DAVIS
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 28 pages
• Sale Source: Columbia University Press
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

ASPECTS OF FORCIBLE RAPE ARE EXAMINED BASED ON DATA OBTAINED FROM A VICTIMIZATION STUDY, OFFENDER-BASED TRANSACTION STATISTICS (OBTS), AND NATIONAL OFFENSE, ARREST, AND PAROLE DATA.

Abstract

THE AUTHOR STRESS THE LACK OF A DEFINITIVE BODY OF INFORMATION ABOUT FORCIBLE RAPE FROM WHICH GENERALIZATIONS MAY BE MADE, BUT CONTEND THAT A USEFUL COMPOSITE PICTURE OF THE NATURE OF THIS CRIME, ITS VICTIMS AND PERPETRATORS, AND SOCIETAL REACTION MAY BE OBTAINED THROUGH SIMULTANEOUS EXAMINATION OF DATA FROM VARIOUS SOURCES. A LARGE-SCALE VICTIMIZATION SURVEY, CONTRACTED BY LEAA WITH THE BUREAU OF THE CENSUS, WAS CONDUCTED IN 1972 AND INVOLVED PROBABILITY SAMPLES OF 10,000 HOUSEHOLDS IN EACH OF 13 MAJOR U.S. CITIES. RESULTS SHOWED THAT THERE WERE 315 REPORTED RAPES FOR EVERY 100,000 FEMALES AGE 12 YEARS AND OLDER IN THE 13 CITIES. ATTEMPTED RAPES REPORTED TO THE INTERVIEWERS OUTNUMBERED COMPLETED RAPES BY ABOUT THREE TO ONE. BLACK/OTHERS AND YOUNGER PERSONS WERE FOUND TO HAVE DISPROPORTIONATELY HIGH RATES OF REPORTED RAPE VICTIMIZATION. FINDINGS, SOME OF WHICH ARE PRESENTED IN TABULAR FORM, WERE COMPILED FOR RACE OF VICTIM, RACE CORRELATED WITH AGE OF VICTIM, MAJOR ACTIVITY OF VICTIM, MARITAL STATUS OF VICTIM, TIME AND PLACE OF OCCURRENCE, NUMBER OF VICTIMS AND NUMBER OF OFFENDERS, VICTIM-OFFENDER RELATIONSHIP, USE OF WEAPONS, USE OF SELF-PROTECTIVE MEASURES, INJURY, AND FAILURE TO REPORT VICTIMIZATION TO POLICE. A STUDY OF POLICE STATISTICS ON RAPE FOCUSES ON THE FEDERAL BUREAU OF INVESTIGATION'S UNIFORM CRIME REPORTS FOR THE 40-YEAR PERIOD FROM 1933 TO 1973. OVER THESE 4 DECADES, THE REPORTED RAPE RATE INCREASED 557 PERCENT -- AN INCREASE OF MORE THAN THREE TIMES THE OVERALL INCREASE FOR REPORTED VIOLENT INDEX CRIMES. JUDICIAL PROCESSING OF OFFENDERS IS EXAMINED THROUGH OBTS, IN WHICH THE OFFENDER SERVES AS THE UNIT OF COUNT AS HE PROCEEDS THROUGH THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. OBTS COMPILED IN CALIFORNIA SHOW THAT, ALTHOUGH A RELATIVELY LARGE PROPORTION OF OFFENDERS ARE DISMISSED BEFORE COURT PROCESSING, THOSE CONVICTED OF RAPE ARE LIKELY TO BE SENTENCED TO JAIL OR PRISON. THE UNIFORM PAROLE REPORT DATA INDICATE THAT ONLY HOMICIDE PAROLEES SERVE LONGER TERMS THAN RAPE PAROLEES. THE AUTHORS CAUTION THAT EACH INFORMATION SOURCE HAS ITS OWN LIMITATIONS; THESE SHORTCOMINGS INCREASE WITH THE DISTANCE OF THE STATISTIC FROM THE CRIME.