MANAGING RAPE: EXPLORATORY RESEARCH ON THE BEHAVIOR OF RAPE STATISTICS

• NCJ Number: 144631
• Journal: Criminology Volume: 31 Issue: 3 Dated: (August 1993) Pages: 363-386
• Author(s): G F Jensen; M Karpos
• Date Published: 1993
• Length: 24 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: An earlier version of this article was presented at the 1990 meeting of the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, Nashville, Tennessee, under the title, "Disparities Between Uniform Crime Report and Victim Survey Estimates of Rape: Alternative Interpretations."

Annotation

This article explores explanations for the disparities in rape data compiled by the FBI¦s Uniform Crime Reports (UCR) and the annual National Crime Survey (NCS) from 1973 to 1990.

Abstract

Researchers commonly assumed that disparities in the statistical trends reflect changes in the willingness of rape victims to report such offenses to the police. The increase in the proportion of victims who report to the police, as reflected in both the victim surveys of NCS and the police reports of UCR, can be attributed to the acceptance of liberated sex role attitudes. Decreases in the rape victimization rate and the fear of rape, as reflected in NCS data, are thought to provide a truer approximation of the incidence of rape. However, UCR statistics would indicate improvement in the management of rape cases. The authors propose that explanations that emphasize such improvement could better account for the downward movement of NCS rates than could the common explanations based on victim willingness to report. 3 tables, 6 figures, 14 footnotes, and 28 references