NCJ Number
137632
Journal
Ebony Dated: (September 1991) Pages: 92,94,96-98
Date Published
1991
Length
5 pages
Annotation
The U.S. rape rate is rising dramatically, topping 100,000 reported incidents for the first time in 1990. Law enforcement agencies estimate that as many as 2 million women are raped every year.
Abstract
Most experts believe that American society's obsessions with sex and violence -- promoted in the press, television, and movies -- are major contributors to this epidemic. Research has indicated that exposure to violence can lead people to engage in violent behavior. Some rapes are prompted by drug use which is also on the rise. Also contributing to the rising rape statistics is the increased willingness of women to report rape, including date and acquaintance rape. In the past few years, the courts have become more responsive to victims of date and acquaintance rape. Psychologists generally agree that rape is a crime rooted in nonsexual motivations; tied to hostility, anger, and the need to exert power and control. Most rapists feel powerless, have low self-esteem, and view women as manipulative and exploitative. Disproportionate numbers of rapists and rape victims are black, perhaps because a sense of powerlessness and low self-esteem is more pervasive in the black community as a result of poverty and racism.