Violent crime down in Boston
By adamg - 11/25/09 - 12:10 pm
Something to be thankful for. The Globe reports.
Year-to-year stats, broken down by police districts.
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Something to be thankful for. The Globe reports.
Year-to-year stats, broken down by police districts.
Comments
Except rapes, up almost 19%
But Davis told Maria Cramer that was mainly due to an "increase in reporting". Not sure why this would be uniquely true of the increase in rapes- should we assume that any of the decreases elsewhere are likewise due only to a "decrease in reporting", not a decline in actual incidents?
sexual assault is historically very underreported.
many studies have shown that only a small fraction of sexual assaults are ever reported to the authorities. there are a lot of stumbling blocks for men and women to report this crime, as it involves so much shame and fear in the victim. in addition, it is one of the few crimes where the victim is often blamed directly for the crime. reporting a sexual assualt often involved the victim going through further pain and shame by having their entire sexual history questioned, let alone the physical hurdles that must be crossed to try to prove the crime -- your pubic hair plucked, your fingernails scraped, a full pelvic and/or anal exam taken, while photos are taken. it's necessary, but incredibly traumatic. and many victims choose to forgo it.
as time goes on, we have done a lot to change this, (SANE nurses, rape crisis shelters, education of the public and professionals, etc.) but the fear still remains.
my personal belief is that rape and sexual assault will always underreported. the stats will never be accurate. although it's great we may be getting closer.