NCJ Number
239503
Date Published
September 2009
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This paper examines how estimates of sexual violence in the United States are developed and looks at the major sources of rape statistics at the national level.
Abstract
The authors of this paper examine how estimates of sexual violence in the United States are developed by authorities. Two major sources of rape statistics at the national level are used to develop the estimates: 1) cases reported to law enforcement and 2) victimization surveys. The report discusses the definition of rape as used in the Federal Criminal Code, the methods used for measuring rape prevalence, and key terminology used in victimization surveys and law enforcement reports. The major sources of prevalence data on rapes in the United States are discussed in the paper and include Uniform Crime Reports (UCR), the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), the National Women's Study (NWS), the National Violence Against Women Survey (NVAWS), the National Women's Study - Replication (NWS-R), and the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Surveillance System (NISVSS). Highlights from each of the surveys are included with the report. The review of the findings from the various studies indicates that the burden of forcible rape in the United States has increased since the NWS was first completed in the early 1990s. Limitations of the studies are discussed. Tables and references