numbers game

Rapes Rise Under New Definition

The FBI no longer calls it "forcible."

A clearer picture of the prevalence of sexual violence emerged in the FBI's recently released Uniform Crime Report, unburdened by excess descriptors. The Bureau no longer defines rape as "forcible" and, under that new definition, rates of rape surged to 14,400 reported cases in the first half of 2013, up from 13,242 during the January to June period of 2012. For 90 years, "forcible rape" was defined as “the carnal knowledge of a female, forcibly and against her will,” but the definition has now been broadened and no longer uses a gender reference. The report counts 272 cities, encompassing about a fourth of the American population.