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Rape Cases in Virginia Often Go Unsolved

VCU CNS | December 20, 2019

Topics: crimes against persons, International Association of Chiefs of Police, rape, reporting crimes, sexual assault, sexual assault investigation training, Unbelievable, Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance, Virginia State Police

This may be the #MeToo era, but here in Virginia, the vast majority of rape cases are still unsolved, and the perpetrators remain unpunished.

In the #MeToo era, survivors of sexual assault are feeling more empowered to come forward with their stories. Despite the social movement, though, sexual assaults and rapes have the lowest clearance rates of all “crimes against persons” in Virginia.

In 2018, for example, fewer than 20 percent of all rape cases in the commonwealth were cleared by arrest, according to an analysis of Virginia State Police data. In contrast, kidnapping had a clearance rate of almost 75 percent.

The numbers don’t surprise Kate McCord, an associate director of the Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance. She said there are multiple potential reasons for low clearance rates in sexual assaults.

Sometimes, McCord said, police keep cases open for future DNA evidence. Other reasons, she said, include inadequate police training and lack of resources.

One factor, McCord said, is the misconception that sexual assault has a higher rate of false reporting than other crimes.

“The pervasiveness that people who report sexual assaults are not to be believed is still an issue, so that could be contributing to the problem. There are a lot of different factors that could all be kind of interplaying to make this dynamic happen,” McCord said.

Virginia had similar numbers of rape and kidnapping cases last year, according to Virginia Crime Online, a database posted by the Virginia State Police. There were 1,879 reported rapes and 1,546 reported kidnappings.

However, the two crimes had very different clearance rates — the percentage of offenses in which police arrest a suspect:

  • 73 percent of the kidnapping cases were cleared by arrest. In 2 percent of the cases, the victim refused to cooperate, and in another 2 percent, prosecutors decided not to pursue the case.
  • Just 19 percent of rape cases were cleared by arrest. In 10 percent of the cases, the victim refused to cooperate, and in another 13 percent, prosecutors decided not to pursue the case.

McCord said some rape survivors might refuse to cooperate with authorities because of their relationship to the perpetrator.

McCord also said that “victim refused to cooperate” is a subjective reason to drop an investigation and that in some instances, police may be using this as an excuse.

“When you think about the concept of failure to cooperate, that could be a really subjective judgment call,” McCord said.

McCord used the Netflix series Unbelievable as an example of how survivors of sexual assault can be deemed uncooperative. Unbelievable is a drama based on a true story of a sexual assault survivor who was deemed uncooperative and who eventually sued the city of Lynnwood, Washington, after connecting investigations found evidence of her assault.

The Virginia State Police compile data on sex offenses other than rapes. In 2018, there were:

  • 2,831 cases of “forcible fondling”; 21 percent of them were cleared by arrest.
  • 531 cases of “sexual assault with an object”; 25 percent of them were cleared.
  • 623 cases of “forcible sodomy”; 28 percent of them were cleared.
  • 130 cases of statutory rape; 39 percent of them were cleared.

Overall, of the 5,994 sex-related offenses were reported to police in Virginia last year, 1,309 cases — or 22 percent — were cleared by arrest.

The clearance rate for all “crimes against persons” was 45 percent. For instance, of the 8,776 aggravated assaults, 57 percent were cleared. So were 59 percent of the 393 cases of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter, and 47 percent of the 65,261 simple assaults.

Not only are the clearance rates for sex-related offenses low, but many of those crimes go unreported, according to advocates for rape survivors.

The Virginia Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Action Alliance reported that its hotline last year received 10,017 calls regarding sexual assault.

The combination of the relationship between the survivor and the attacker and low clearance rates for sexual assault can be the perfect storm to keep a survivor from reporting an attack to police.

“When you’re thinking about a survivor who just wants (accountability) but may not want for the person who harmed them to go to jail or prison, then they’re not going to choose to report to a system … where they don’t feel like they’re going to be believed anyway,” McCord said.

Despite low clearance rates, McCord sees a “hopeful trend” of police departments learning about trauma-informed investigation and response.

The International Association Chiefs of Police states that trauma-informed sexual assault investigation training “provides law enforcement and multi-disciplinary community partners with information on the neurobiology of trauma and investigative strategies to respond to sexual assault crimes in a victim centered, trauma informed manner.”

Local police departments had a range of clearance rates for rape cases in 2018.

Among localities with at least 10 rapes, Washington County and the city of Waynesboro had the highest clearance rates at 40 percent. Fairfax County’s clearance rate was similar to the statewide average at 18 percent. Of the county’s 131 reported rapes, 23 were cleared by arrest.

In contrast, Fauquier and Hanover counties cleared only 6 percent of their reported rapes. The Richmond Police Department cleared only two of its 40 rape reports in 2018 — a clearance rate of 5 percent. Suffolk City had a slightly lower rate than Richmond, 4.55 percent, clearing one of 22 rape cases.

Because of the underreporting and low clearance rates for rape, law professor Donald Dripps argued in a recent issue of the William & Mary Law Review that rape should be a federal crime.

Dripps wrote that states and localities aren’t doing enough to solve rape cases. He said making rape a federal offense would focus federal resources on the issue.

Dripps, who teaches at the School of Law at the University of San Diego, wrote that the low clearance rates in rape cases are especially concerning in light of the emergence of DNA testing, searchable law-enforcement databases and other technology.

“As solving rape cases became less difficult, the clearance rate should have gone up,” Dripps stated.

Written by Anna Madigan, Capital News Service. Top Image via Unbelievable/Netflix

Purses with a purpose: RÉNA IMAN aims to help victims of domestic violence

Caley Sturgill | August 7, 2017

Topics: fashion, Joyful Heart Foundation, RVA fashion, Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance

Purpose work is thriving in Richmond.

The challenges of starting a business alone are enough for most entrepreneurs, but one small business owner here is going the extra mile. Reana Muhammad, CEO of RÉNA IMAN, runs a socially-conscious handbag label which has joined the fight to end domestic violence.

RÉNA IMAN handcrafted luxury bags donate a percentage of every sale to two domestic violence non-profits in Virginia.

The designer’s love for charity is only met by her passion for fashion: a lifelong handbag enthusiast, starting the luxury line allowed her to do both.

Photo: RÉNA IMAN

“I wanted to do something to help the community,” Muhammad said. “I spend a lot of money on bags and fashion in general, so I was really inspired by the companies who were helping these issues.”

Muhammad’s business came to life among a trend of other socially-conscious business models around the country. Just last month, RVAMag caught up with Hamilton Perkins, the Virginia designer recycling plastic bottles and billboard vinyl into designer travel bags. Corporate-social responsibility has been on the rise in recent years, and many local businesses are keeping up.

“If you think about how our community runs, we can’t get where we need to be by ourselves,” Muhammad said. “Our generation is going back to the community fronts that help each other. . .I think people are getting away from the mindset of ‘I’m going to start this company and make all the money for myself.’ That’s not how you grow.”

The entrepreneur put her ideas together and jumped into business this year. Her 100 percent katzkin leather bags come in a variety of colors and run from $125-$225. The bags are also designed with a stone on its tag to commemorate important moments in its owner’s life.

Photo: RÉNA IMAN

“I stepped back and thought, ‘behind each bag is a story,’” Muhammad said. “Regardless of what your story is, great precious moments have always been marked with a stone: birthdays, engagements…I wanted to make it so you’re personalizing it, but it’s still a moment for you to design something yourself and know you’re giving back, helping other people.”

On helping others in Richmond, Muhammad credits the local organizations already in place that keep doors open and help people feel secure. She’s thankful for the residents here that stand behind them, she said, and that even high school and college campuses are becoming safer.

“We’re evolving as a country, and I think that has a lot to do with our generation not being afraid to protest as long as something good is coming out of it,” she said. “When things happen and people feel unsafe, people are more prone now to go out of their way to fix it. We don’t mind ruffling feathers.”

Choosing a charity for RÉNA IMAN, Muhammad thought back to her own experiences. After college, she worked in counseling for an organization with many young-adult clients who struggled with domestic violence.

“I got a little push back from people at the beginning of the business, because domestic violence isn’t pretty,” Muhammad said. “It’s not a charity where you put up a picture and people want to help. Sexual assault and domestic violence are things people don’t want to talk about…but I didn’t want to do anything cookie-cutter. I’m a raw person, and I wanted to put it out there.”

Photo: RÉNA IMAN

Once she settled on the idea, Muhammad looked for local organizations to set up a partnership. She reached out to The Joyful Heart Foundation and The Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance (VSDVAA).

“I actually found Joyful Heart because I’m obsessed with Law and Order: SVU,” she said, chuckling to herself. “They promoted The Joyful Heart Foundation on a commercial about helping and healing. I started to research it and I fell in love with it, and I found it just from watching one of my favorite TV shows.”

Muhammad’s partnership with the VSDVAA took a longer search.

“When I was looking at charities in Richmond, a lot of shelters came up,” she said. “But I didn’t want to donate to one shelter alone, I wanted to help an organization that reached a massive amount of people…not just a group of people who lived in that neighborhood and went there that day.”

She landed on the VSDVAA, a coalition for the state of Virginia that runs a 24-hour hotline for victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. The hotline is run by volunteers, 365 days a year, who work with shelters across the state — and it’s just one of many.

According to the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV), in the U.S. more than 10 million women and men are abused by an intimate partner every year: that’s nearly 20 people per second.  Their hotlines receive more than 20,000 phone calls per day in the United States.

On a larger scale, Muhammad is glad to see domestic violence issues being put on the table across the nation.

“We’re growing, we’re seeing that it’s a problem,” she said. “Because people are speaking out instead of sheltering it, they’re saying ‘this is what happened to me’ and actually taking legal steps to rectify the situation. We’re not allowing people to put it under a rug anymore, and I’m really happy about that.”

Moving forward, Muhammad is excited to grow her business. Her next steps are to add more colors and designs while expanding to selling them in retail stores.

Photo: RÉNA IMAN

“I love Richmond to death, and I would love to start with retail stores here and grow from there,” she said. “I want people to see this in Nordstrom. I want to be able to say that we’ve raised $1 million for charity in the first five years. It’s people over profit…I want to stand for something and I want to help.”

In the meantime, other fashion enthusiasts can find RÉNA IMAN bags on their website and find them on their Facebook page.

Gov. McAuliffe signs legislation increasing protections for victims of sexual assault

Amy David | April 15, 2016

Topics: PERKs, rape kits, sexual assault, VA college campuses, Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance

RICHMOND – Gov. Terry McAuliffe on Thursday formally signed four bills that supporters say will increase protections for victims of sexual assaults.

[Read more…] about Gov. McAuliffe signs legislation increasing protections for victims of sexual assault

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