|
Last week’s release of the FBI’s preliminary 2005 Uniform Crime
Reports (UCR) shows a slight decline in the incidence of rape,
while all violent crime increased by 2.5 percent. UCR data is
collected from local police departments and so is based on
actual crime reports.
The downward trend is mirrored by the annual Department of
Justice National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), which is a
phone survey of thousands of individuals over the age of 12. The
NCVS shows an 85 percent decline in the per-capita rape rate
since 1979.
“I can’t say I’m totally surprised by the drop in sexual
violence,” remarked Joanne Archambault, Executive Director of
EVAW
International. “For each of the past twelve years, Congress
has appropriated tens of millions of dollars for advocates
across the country to conduct Rape Prevention and Education
programs [through VAWA] so I’d be surprised if we did not see an
impact from all those efforts, she concluded.”
Rape is difficult to measure due to the very nature of the
crime. Both the UCR and NCVS use entirely different
methodologies to collect crime data and each has its advantages
and disadvantages. But combined, the two survey instruments help
provide a better picture of rape than either one on its own. For
instance, because the NCVS samples the entire population (vs.
victims only as the UCR does), it provides insight on the
reporting rate for rape. In fact, the NCVS shows that while the
incidence of rape has gone down, the reporting rate has gone up.
In 1999 only 29% of sexual assault victims reported to police.
That percentage edged up over the next few years and then peaked
at 46% in 2002 before dropping to 36% in 2004. Some experts
attribute the trend of increased reporting to heightened
sensitivity and improved responsiveness by local law enforcement
in recent years.
Sources:
Preliminary Annual Uniform Crime Report 2005, issued June
12, 2006.
“Statistics Show Drop in U.S. Rape Cases,” Washington Post,
June 19, 2006. |
|
