Descriptive Analysis of Sexual Assaults in Anchorage, Alaska

Rosay, André and Langworthy, Robert H. (Oct 2003). Descriptive Analysis of Sexual Assaults in Anchorage, Alaska. Report prepared under Grant No. 2000-RH-CX-K039 from the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Anchorage, AK: Justice Center, University of Alaska Anchorage.

Summary: It has long been known that forcible rapes and sexual assaults occur at a higher rate in Anchorage and in Alaska than in the U.S. as a whole. The Justice Center, in collaboration with the Anchorage Police Department, conducted an epidemiological study aimed at providing a better understanding of the parameters of the rape and sexual assault problem in Anchorage. Researchers looked at case data drawn from the 541 sexual assaults reported to the Anchorage Police Department in 2000 and 2001. These data provide the first solid information on victim and suspect characteristics, time and location of assaults, and other details about sexual assaults and rapes reported to the police. In some cases the data contradict some of the more common assumptions regarding Anchorage’s rape problem.