1. A DESCRIPTIVE STUDY OF RAPE: "IS DEFENSIBLE SPACE A SOLUTION?".
- Author
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Graham, M C, Richardson, R R, and Terrell, L A
- Subjects
RAPE ,SEX crimes ,CRIMES against women ,POST-traumatic stress disorder ,SINGLE women - Abstract
This article cites a study, which was undertaken to investigate occurrence of the crime of rape during the stated time period in Norman, Oklahoma, in order to provide baseline data for future research. Norman Police Department offense reports of 77 attempted or completed rapes in Norman for the period January 1983 to December 1984 were analyzed to determine socio-demographic data on the victims and the suspects. One can surmise that the post-traumatic stress syndrome resulting from the sense of violation that accompanies rape can only be exacerbated by the act having been committed by breaking into the victims' homes in the small hours of the morning. The most startling result of this study was the substantial increase in the incidence of reported rape in Norman in recent years, even though the increase itself is consistent with national trends. As this study has demonstrated, one of the most important tasks for the purpose of rape prevention is community education regarding the issue of defensibility of dwellings rented by single women.
- Published
- 1986