Abstract
Is rape unique in terms of the factors which transform an attempt into a completion? Or is rape similar to other forms of assaultive violence? These questions are addressed here by employing the National Crime Survey to develop models of attempted versus completed rape, assault on females, and assault on males. Logistic equations predicting each type of victimization are estimated and compared. The analysis shows that rape victimization is unique. Additionally, the differences between attempted versus completed rape and assault cannot be accounted for by the sex of the victim or the sex of the assailant. The implications of these findings for theories of rape and assault are discussed. The policy implications of these findings are briefly considered.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bart, P. B. (1981). A study of women who both were raped and avoided rape.J. Soc. Issues 37: 123–137.
Biderman, A. (1970).Time Distortions of Victimization Data and Mnemonic Effects, Bureau of Social Science Research, Washington, D.C.
Bohmer, C. (1977). Judicial attitudes toward rape victims, In Chappell, D., Geis, R., and Geis, G. (eds.),Forcible Rape: The Crime, the Victim, and the Offender, Columbia University Press, New York.
Brownmiller, S. (1975).Against Our Will, Simon and Schuster, New York.
Burgess, A. W., and Holmstrom, L. L. (1979).Rape: Victims of Crises, Brady, Bowie.
Dubow, R., McCabe, E., and Kaplan, G. (1979).Reactions to Crime: A Critical Review of the Literature, U.S. Department of Justice, Washington, D.C.
Ennis, P. H. (1967).Criminal Victimization in the United States: A Report of a National Survey, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.
Geis, G. (1977). Forcible rape: An introduction, In Chappell, D., Geis, R., and Geis, G. (eds.),Forcible Rape: The Crime, the Victim, and the Offender, Columbia University Press, New York.
Griffin, S. (1979).Rape: The Power of Consciousness, Harper and Row, San Francisco.
Groth, N. A., and Birnbaum, H. J. (1979).Men Who Rape: The Psychology of the Offender, Plenum, New York.
Hindelang, M. J., Gottfredson, M. R., and Garofalo, J. (1978).Victims of Personal Crime: An Empirical Foundation for a Theory of Personal Victimization, Ballinger, Cambridge.
Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research (1978).National Crime Surveys Cities Attitude Sub-Sample 1972–1975, Inter-University Consortium for Political and Social Research, Ann Arbor, Mich.
Katz, S., and Mazur, M. A. (1979).Understanding the Rape Victim: A Synthesis of Research Findings, Wiley, New York.
Levine, J. P. (1976). The potential for crime over reporting in criminal victimization surveys.Criminology 14: 307–331.
Lizotte, A. J. (1985). The uniqueness of rape: Reporting assaultive violence to the police.Crime Delinq. 32: 169–190.
Myers, M., and Lafree, G. S. (1982). Sexual assault and its prosecution: A comparison with other crime.J. Crim. Law Criminal. 73: 1282–1305.
Nerlove, M., and Press, S. J. (1973).Univariate and Multivariate Log-Linear and Logistic Models, Rand, Santa Monica, Calif.
Palmer, J., and Carlson, P. (1976). Problems with the use of regression analysis in prediction studies.J. Res. Crime Delinq. 13: 64–81.
Russell, D. (1975).The Politics of Rape, Stein and Day, New York.
Riger, S., and Gordon, M. T. (1981). The fear of rape: A study of social control.J. Soc. Issues 37: 71–92.
San Jose Methods Test of Known Crime Victims (1972).Statistics Technical Report No. 1, National Institute of Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice Statistics Division, Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, Washington, D.C.
Sagarin, E. (1977). Forcible rape and the problem of the rights of the accused, In Chappell, D., Geis, R., and Geis, G. (eds.),Forcible Rape: The Crime, the Victim, and the Offender, Columbia University Press, New York.
Shubin, S. (1976). The victims of rape.Abbott Laboratories' Today in Psychiatry, Borland-Coogan Associates, Chicago, Vol. 2, p. 1.
Skogan, W. G. (1975). Measurement problems in official and survey crime rates.J. Crim. Just. 3: 17–32.
Sutherland, S., and Scherl, B. (1970). Patterns of response among victims of rape.Am. J. Orthopsychiat. 40: 503–511.
Theil, H. (1971).Principles of Econometrics, Wiley, New York.
Williams, J. E., and Holmes, K. A. (1981).The Second Assault: Rape and Public Attitudes, Greenwood Press, Westport, Conn.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lizotte, A.J. Determinants of completing rape and assault. J Quant Criminol 2, 203–217 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01066526
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01066526