This file was prepared for electronic distribution by the inforM staff. Questions or comments should be directed to inform-editor@umail.umd.edu. VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN: THE RESPONSE TO RAPE: DETOURS ON THE ROAD TO EQUAL JUSTICE SUMMARY * 98% of rape victims will never see their attacker apprehended, convicted and incarcerated; * Over half (54%) of all rape prosecutions result in either a dismissal or an acquittal; * A rape prosecution is more than twice as likely as a murder prosecution to be dismissed and 30% more likely to be dismissed than a robbery prosecution; * Approximately 1 in 10 rapes reported to the police results in time served in prison; 1 in 100 rapes (including those that go unreported) is sentenced to more than one year in prison; * Almost one quarter of convicted rapists are not sentenced to prison but, instead, are released on probation; * Nearly one quarter of convicted rapists receives a sentence to a local jail -- for only 11 months, (according to national estimates); * Adding together the convicted rapists sentenced to probation and those sentenced to local jails, almost half of all convicted rapists are sentenced to less than one year behind bars.