The Reporting and Underreporting of Rape‪.‬

1. Introduction The underreporting of rape represents one of the most persistent patterns in law enforcement. The U.S. Department of Justice estimated that for the period 1994-1995 only about one-third of rape victims reported the crime to police, making rape the most underreported of all violent crimes. (1) From the perspective of the economic model of crime, underreporting of any crime weakens a vital link between crime and punishment demonstrated in the seminal models of Becker (1968) and Ehrlich (1973). Reporting by victims reinforces the probability of detection and the expected cost of illegal activity; these elements are critical to establishing a disincentive for individuals to commit crime. Underreporting reduces the probability of detection because it prevents law-enforcement officials from gaining information valuable, or even essential, in the apprehension of offenders. Ultimately, less apprehension means less restitution for victims. Reporting by individuals also yields restitutional benefits for society as a whole and provides valuable information about the types and frequency of crimes that actually occur, which is important for the formation of efficient crime policy.