ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska led the nation in rapes per capita last year, according to statistics released by the FBI, and a revised definition of the crime means the numbers are grimmer than before.
The FBI in data collected from Alaska law enforcement agencies counted 922 rapes last year, a rate of 125.4 per 100,000 residents. The rate is three times the national average.
The previous definition of rape included only female victims. The FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting program now includes all genders. It also reflects the nonconsensual acts of sodomy and sex assaults with objects, said Kevin Donovan, assistant special agent with the Alaska FBI.
Under the old definition, the number of rapes in 2013 would have been 644. The new definition provides the FBI with a more accurate understanding, Donovan said.
“The changes broaden the scope of the previously narrow definitions by capturing data without regard to gender and including offenses in which physical force is not involved,” he said. “For example, instances in which offenders use drugs or alcohol or incidents in which offenders and victims are of the same gender are now counted as rape for statistical purposes.”
The FBI crime report recorded 4,708 Alaska violent crimes in 2013. The majority, 3,128, were aggravated assaults.
