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Nccd Research Review : Attrition in Case Processing Is Rape Unique?

Research and Information, National Council on Crime and Delinquency, San Francisco

Kenneth Polk

University of Oregon, Eugene

In the current literature on rape, frequent reference is made to the attrition of rape cases as these move through the criminal justice system. The present study draws upon national and California secondary data, first, to establish if the hypothesized attrition occurs at key points in the justice system for rape offenses, and then, second, to determine if this attrition is unique from or similar to that experienced with other major felonies. The general conclusion is that, while there is considerable loss of rape cases between the point of initial reporting of an incident to the police and the court sentencing stage, this loss cannot be described as unique to rape. While proba bly somewhat more rape cases experience attrition in the justice system than is true for homicide, rape seems to show a level of loss comparable to robbery at most points, and certainly lower levels of loss than assault or burglary. These findings hold across time and jurisdictions.

Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency, Vol. 20, No. 1, 126-154 (1983)
DOI: 10.1177/002242788302000109


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