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1997-98 Academy Text Supplement

Chapter 14

Sexual Assault

• According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations's Uniform Crime Reports, an annual statistical compilation of crimes reported to law enforcement agencies across the nation, in 1996, there were 95,769 reported forcible rapes and assaults or attempts to commit rape. (Federal Bureau of Investigation. (1997, September 28). Crime in the United States, Uniform Crime Reports, 1996, p. 23. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.)
• The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice obtains information about crimes both reported and not reported to the police. In 1996, the NCVS identified 307,000 incidences of rape/sexual assault committed in the nation (more than two-thirds remained unreported). (Ringel, C. (1997, November). Criminal Victimization in 1996, Changes 1995-96 with Trends 1993-96, NCJ-165812, p. 3. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice.)
• More than 52 percent of all rape/sexual assault victims were females younger than 25. (Perkins, C. (1997, September). Age Patterns of Victims of Serious Crimes, NCJ-162031, p. 1. Washington, DC: Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice.)
• Among female victims, friends or acquaintances committed 40 percent of the rapes and sexual assaults; strangers, 32 percent; and intimate partners, 24 percent. The intimate offender was more likely a boy/girlfriend (14.3%) than a spouse (7.3%), a difference that may be due in part to spouses' reluctance to disclose violence by their partners. Researchers noted that boyfriends or girlfriends may be more likely than spouses to define violent episodes as criminal. (Craven, D. (1994). "Sex Differences in Violent Victimization," NCJ-164508, p. 5. Bureau of Justice Statistics, Special Report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.)
• Injury sustained by females during rapes and/or sexual assaults also affected whether law enforcement was notified. Females who suffered physical injury in addition to the injury suffered from the rape or sexual assault itself reported 37 percent of those victimizations, while 22 percent of rapes and sexual assaults without an additional physical injury were reported. (Ibid.)
• Preliminary estimates for 1995 indicate that 260,300 rapes and attempted rapes and nearly 95,000 sexual assaults and threats of sexual assaults were committed against persons 12 years of age or older. (Bureau of Justice Statistics. (1996). Sex Offenses and Offenders: An Analysis of Data on Rape and Sexual Assault. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.)
• In 1995, 97,460 forcible rapes were reported to the police, the lowest total reported since 1989. (Ibid.)
• Of the number of reported rapes for 1995, the rate of rape was 76 per 100,000 women living in metropolitan areas as compared to 49 per 100,000 women living in rural areas. (Ibid.)
• Slightly under half (43.4 percent) of all rapes/sexual assaults were found to occur between 6 p.m. and midnight; and six out of every 10 rape/sexual assaults occurred in the homes of the victim, family members or friends. (Ibid.)
• Sexual assaults were found to be highest among residents age 16 to 19, low income residents, and urban residents. (Ibid.)
• The rate of rape among women was 10 percent lower in 1995 (80 per 100,000 versus 72 per 100,000) than in 1990. (Ibid.)
• About nine out of 10 rape/sexual assault victimizations involved a single offender with whom the victim had a prior relationship as a family member, intimate, or acquaintance. (Ibid.)
• According to information reported by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, in Estimates from the Redesigned Survey (1995) and Violence Between Intimates (1994): former husbands, boyfriends, and ex-boyfriends committed 26 percent of rapes and sexual assaults.
• A large and increasing number of prison inmates are sexual offenders. In 1980, state prisons held 20,500 sex offenders. By 1994 over 88,000 sex offenders were held in state prisons -- comprising nearly 10 percent of all state prison populations. (Finn, P. (1996, November). Sexual Offender Community Notification, Research in Action. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice.)
• Overall, rape has the highest annual victim costs at $127 billion per year (excluding child sexual abuse), followed by assault at $93 billion, murder (excluding arson and drunk driving) at $61 billion, and child abuse at $56 billion. (Miller, T., Cohen, M., & Wiersema, B. (1996, February). Victim Costs and Consequences: A New Look. Washington, DC: National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice.)

Developments in Targeting Sexual Assault Against Young Victims

Because the overwhelming majority of sexual crimes are committed by intimates and against youth, victim assistance, rape awareness and prevention programs are increasingly targeting grade school and junior high school students. Significantly, the 1994 Violence Against Women

Act provides priority funding for educational programs targeted to middle and junior high school students. For example:

• In California, the Santa Monica Hospital Rape Treatment Center has developed nationally distributed materials and a videotape about preventing acquaintance rape on campus.

• Increasingly, colleges and universities are including sexual assault awareness as part of new student orientation and ongoing educational sessions.

Privacy Rights of Sexual Assault Victims

Privacy remains a critical concern of victims of sexual assault, and a primary factor in non-reporting. Several states have enacted privacy protection laws to prevent the name and address, or other identifying information about rape victims, to be made public. In addition, many law enforcement agencies have adopted policies to exclude such information before the release of police reports to the media.

Drug-Related Rape

An emerging issue in the past few years has been the use of legal and illegal drugs by potential rapists who sedate their intended victims without the victim's knowledge or permission. Such drugs are put into non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages in a variety of social settings. Substance-related rapes present severe difficulties for survivors of rape, as well as for those trying to prevent their victimization. Many articles have appeared in the media about the threat and the susceptibility of individuals to this type of victimization.

According to the National Coalition Against Sexual Assault, the most threatening problem is the emergence of a drug that results "in the inability of the rape survivor to remember the details of what happened as a result of the heavy sedating effect of the drug and/or alcohol heightens the difficulty of gathering information that could help prosecute the offender." (NCASA News, Vol. 6, No. 1, April 1997)

In 1996, Congress passed the Drug-Induced Rape Prevention Act to address the emerging issue of the use of sedating drugs by rapists on their victims. The Act sets forth prison terms of up to 20 years for offenders convicted of using controlled substances with the intent to commit a violent crime, including rape.

According to the April 1997 edition of the National Coalition Against Sexual Assault News, there are new drug testing capabilities available that may help collect evidence in relation to substance abuse cases. Hoffmann-La Roche, a major pharmaceutical company, is offering a free testing service because of its concern that one of its medicines -- Rohypnol (flunitrazepam) --

has been misused. Currently, the medicine is not legally available within the United States, but is available in 80 countries outside the United States for the treatment of severe sleeping disorders.

While many other drugs and alcohol are used to induce potential victims, rape crisis centers, law enforcement officials, and hospital emergency rooms involved in the investigation of sexual assault cases where drug misuse is suspected should call (800) 608-6540 to access this free testing service. The testing is performed by an independent U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-certified forensic toxicology laboratory. According to NCASA, the urine sample is tested for amphetamines, barbiturates, and benzodiazepines, including flunitrazepam, cocaine, marijuana, and opiates. The results of the tests are returned directly to the rape crisis center, law enforcement official, or hospital emergency room and, most importantly, the identity of the victim is kept confidential. (Snyder, D. (1997, April). "Drug Testing for Substance-Related Rape," Vol. 6, No. 1, p.16. NCASA News.)

A National Public Awareness Campaign Against 'Date Rape Drugs'

In August of 1997, Attorney General Janet Reno launched a nationwide public awareness campaign to bring awareness to the dangers of 'date rape drugs'. The public awareness campaign is being conducted by the U.S. Department of Justice in collaboration with the Rape Treatment Center at the Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. In launching the program Attorney General Reno stated:

There has been an alarming increase in sexual assaults involving Rohypnol and GHB, (Gamma-hydroxbutyrate) These are especially serious and sinister crimes. When a rapist uses these drugs to incapacitate the victim, the victim is robbed of her ability to defend herself and to remember what happened.

The Attorney General also stated that when mixed with alcohol, the rape drugs are "as lethal as a gun or a knife."

The campaign, called "Rohypnol and GHB: What You Need to Know" includes brochures, posters, bookmarks, and public service announcements warning about the dangers of these drugs. For example, one poster features a hand dropping two pills into a mug of beer, with the accompanying message: "Now rapists don't have to use force to get what they want." The poster offers this advice: 'Watch your drink, it's your best defense." The bookmarks advise students never to leave drinks unattended in clubs or at parties. It also advises women to not accept a drink from a stranger. ("Reno Launches Drive Against 'Date Rape Drugs', Los Angeles Times, Tuesday, August 12, 1997.)

Throughout the past year, the public awareness materials have been distributed nationwide.

Improving the Quality and Continuity of Services

for Sexual Assault Victims

In 1997, the Office for Victims of Crime awarded a grant to the Sexual Assault Resource Service of the Minneapolis Research Foundation to address the need to improve the quality and continuity of services to victims of sexual assault. Under this project, the Sexual Assault Resource Center is developing a comprehensive training and technical assistance package for crisis responses, advocacy, and mental health services that can promote personal recovery and healing. The program was pilot-tested in the spring of 1998 in Colorado and Minnesota. Throughout 1998 a series of regional training workshops for direct service providers will be conducted. ("Initiatives to Combat Violence Against Women." (1997). Office for Victims of Crime Fact Sheet, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Justice.)

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