NCJ Number
128586
Date Published
1991
Length
13 pages
Annotation
The chapter defines rape in legal turns and in research terms. The incidences, prevalence, and consequences of rape are discussed along with the characteristics of rapists.
Abstract
The legal, psychological, and social issues regarding rape are complex. Because definitions of rape vary from male/female, female/male, male/male, and female/female, statistics regarding the incidence and prevalence of this crime are difficult to interpret. For example, in the minds of attorneys, police officers, rapists, the general public, and victims, the least common form of rape, sexual intercourse forced by a stranger with a weapon, is held as the standard against which all other rapes are judged. Also, scientific knowledge regarding the characteristics of rapists and victims has been limited by assumptions about the nature of "real rape," although recent evidence suggests that the characteristics of rapists and victims differ little from the characteristics of the typical man or woman.