Discussion List for campus-based and allied personnel working to end gender-based violence on campus.

["Lynne Walter" <>]

I was going to offer some of the same response as the ASU Sergeant, and
also include this information from the RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest
National Network) website:

"How Many Reports Are False?

There is widespread opinion that a large number of reported sexual
assaults are false claims. That is absolutely not true. According to the
FBI, in 2003 5.5% of sexual assaults were determined to be unfounded.
"Unfounded" includes cases when there is insufficient evidence, the
victim decides not to follow through with prosecution, the victim
repeatedly changes the account of rape, the victim recants and police
are unable to locate the victim as well as when the allegation is found
to be false."

"'Unfounded' does not equal false" is the key talking point I think I'd
make in this scenario, and then explain what "unfounded" means.

Lynne

Lynne Walter, MSW
Prevention Education Coordinator
North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault
183 Wind Chime Court, Suite 100
Raleigh, NC 27615
(919) 870-8881
1-888-737-CASA
(919) 870-8828 (fax)

www.nccasa.org
www.teencasa.org
 
SAVE THE DATE!
NCCASA 18th Biennial Conference
May 7-9, 2007  Raleigh, NC

-----Original Message-----
From: 

[mailto:]
 On Behalf Of Dena Hester
Sent: Monday, January 29, 2007 4:41 PM
To: 

Subject: FW: Unfounded statistic


Hello List Serve members, 

I asked an ASU Police Sergeant here at ASU the question that Michelle
posed and here is his response.  Perhaps his answer provides some
clarity??  

Dena Hester
Arizona State University, WHP
Sexual Assault Prevention Coordinator 

(480) 965-1996
451 E. University Dr
Tempe, AZ  85287
Helpline:  (480) 727-HOME
For more information about Wellness and Health Promotion programs and
services please visit:  www.asu.edu/wellness
 
 
"We must be the change we wish to see" ~Gandhi
 
 

_____________________________________________
From: James Hardina 
Sent: Monday, January 29, 2007 2:35 PM
To: Dena Hester
Subject: RE: Unfounded statistic

First off, the definition of "rape" and "unfounded" the FBI uses is not
the definitions you are used to. I think what you are looking for is
"women who lied to the Police about being raped who were not raped and
made a false report." In other words, they reported an incident to the
Police that a) did not happen at all, or b) she lied about the
circumstance of they event (i.e. she gave consent but told the Police
she did not give consent). 

An "unfounded report" may be a & b above, but could also be a case where
the event happened as described by the victim (she did not lie and make
up facts) but by statutory definition, after the investigation was
completed, the event occurred as described but is not considered a rape.
That case would be classified as "unfounded" but clearly is not a "false
report." 

As far as UCR goes, "unfounded" means the case is "not a crime," it does
not mean "the case is a false report" (although a false report could
also be an "unfounded" case).

Make sense?

Jim


-----Original Message-----
From: Dena Hester 
Sent: Monday, January 29, 2007 2:04 PM
To: James Hardina
Subject: FW: Unfounded statistic

Any insight Jim?  

Hope 07 is off to a great start for you!  :)

Dena Hester
Arizona State University, WHP
Sexual Assault Prevention Coordinator

(480) 965-1996
451 E. University Dr
Tempe, AZ  85287
Helpline:  (480) 727-HOME
For more information about Wellness and Health Promotion programs and
services please visit:  www.asu.edu/wellness
 
 
"We must be the change we wish to see" ~Gandhi
 
 

-----Original Message-----
From: 

[mailto:]
 On Behalf Of Michelle N.
Issadore
Sent: Monday, January 29, 2007 1:55 PM
To: 

Subject: Unfounded statistic

Hello,

Our student newspaper received a letter to the editor refuting the
commonly used FBI statistic that only 8% sexual assault reports are
unfounded, comparable to every other violent crime. As the statistic
appears to be from 1996 and I can no longer track down the original,
does anyone have a suggestion for how to diffuse the situation while
simultaneously strengthening our point that false reporting is highly
uncommon?

The letter is below, if anyone has information that contradicts what is
stated.

"There are a multitude of reasons not to use the FBI/UCR statistics to
try to quantify the problem of rape, and/or the false reporting of rape,
but what I find most frustrating is the misuse of these statistics by
both sides to advance their agendas.

Unlike Ms. Issadore and far too many of her colleagues, I have actually
obtained from the FBI, the Crime Index Unfounded rates from 1983 to
2001, the most current statistics available at the time.

During that period, the "unfounded" rate for rape, at its highest, in
1983 ( 10.1%), was three times the average of all other Index crimes
(3.3%). At its lowest rate, in 2001 (5.8%), it was over four times the
average (1.38%). Each of those nineteen years it skewed the average of
all Index crimes by having the highest unfounded rate of all. There are
plenty of reasons the unfounded rate should not be used to measure false
reports, but some keep citing it anyway, lured by the temptation to use
a statistic, even one used incorrectly, from such an authoritative
source as the FBI, typically to advance an agenda."

Thanks,
Michelle

-- 
Michelle N. Issadore
Sexual Violence Prevention Coordinator
Lehigh University Women's Center
University Center Room C201A
29 Trembley Drive, Bethlehem, PA 18015
(610) 758-5808; (610) 758-6960 fax


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