Family Crisis Services of Northwest Mississippi, Inc. Founded in October, 1992 as a Non-Profit Organization

History of Family Crisis Services

Family Crisis Services of Northwest Mississippi, Inc. (FCS) is a prevention education and victim assistance organization. With funding from the Department of Health and Human Services and Department of Justice, FCS began providing services in October of 1992. The ten counties the agency is responsible for according to the Department of Justice are Coahoma, DeSoto, Lafayette, Marshall, Panola, Quitman, Tallahatchie, Tate, Tunica and Yalobusha.

The agency is founded on a set of beliefs that include the support of human rights for all people and the principle that every person has the right to live a life free of violence and exploitation. The agency addresses the problems, concerns, treatment and expenses of the survivors of violence and their families. In addition, educational programs on contingent issues are addressed through programs on all types of violence, self-esteem, HIV/AIDS, alcohol and drug abuse, harassment, hate crimes, etc.

The four basic areas of service for the agency are in the following areas:

1. Prevention Education
2. 24 Hour Crisis Intervention
3. Legal Advocacy
4. Professional Counseling

1992 –	Incorporated in October
	Adult Services to Sexual Assault and Incest Victims
1993 –	Began offering services to children that were victims of sexual assault and incest
1994 –	Began offering prevention education to health classes in 6th, 8th, 9th and 12th grades Good Choices/Healthy Lifestyles
1995 –	Began offering HIV Prevention and Education Programs and HIV positive support services
1997 –	Began developing Multidisciplinary Child Abuse Teams in served counties
1998 –	Began offering RESPECT (violence prevention/community building) programs to 4th and 5th graders and My Body Belongs to Me to kindergarten and prekindergarten children
1999 –	Began offering services to families and loved ones of homicide victims
2000 –	Began offering teen pregnancy prevention programs and comprehensive family support services for unmet needs in the community

Current Funding Sources and Respective Programs

Mississippi Department of Public Safety

Victims of Crime Act

Sexual Assault Services
Homicide Services

Violence Against Women Act

Sexual Assault Services
Minority Women Outreach

Safe and Drug Free Schools

Good Choices/Healthy Lifestyles
RESPECT
My Body Belongs To Me

Mississippi State Department of Human Services

Children's Justice Act

County Multidisciplinary Child Abuse Teams

Families First Resource Center

Community Resource Library
Referral Services
Parenting Classes for Unserved Population
Teen Pregnancy Prevention Education
Parent Support Groups
Mentoring Program for Youth
Life Skills Training for Youth
Counseling

Mississippi State Department of Health

Rape Prevention and Education for Middle and Junior High School Youth

RESPECT: Your Key to the Future
Good Choices/Healthy Lifestyles

Rape Crisis Intervention and Education

Crisis Calls
Community and Professional Education

Myths and Realities

Myth:

Rape is a crime committed by strangers jumping out of bushes or in dark alleys.

Reality:

The reality is that more than 80% of rapes committed by people who knew the victim and are often committed in either the house of the perpetrator or victim.

Myth:

Only women can be sexually assaulted.

Reality:

Although the majority of rape victims are women, and in fact they are 10 times more likely to be victims of sexual assault than men, many men are still victims of rape every year.

Myth:

Victims of rape often ask to be raped by the way they were acting or the way that they dressed.

Reality:

Nobody asks to be raped no matter how they are dressed or how they were acting. The way an individual behaves is their choice, but it is never justification for an individual being sexually assaulted.

Myth:

Persons who rape are psychopaths.

Reality:

The majority of rapists are actually not psychopaths, they are mostly the people we see around us everyday. Very few rapists actually have mental problems.

Myth:

The only way a rapist can really force a woman to have intercourse is by using a weapon.

Reality:

A weapon is not necessary for a sexual assault to occur. Fists, body weight, psychological pressure or the victim being drunk are all ways in which rape can occur without the use of a weapon.

Myth:

If a victim isn't a virgin then they can't be raped.

Reality:

A victim's sexual history has nothing to do with a case of rape. A victim could even have had sex with their attacker at an earlier time and can still be raped by them.

Myth:

Women who don't actually physically fight back have not been raped.

Reality:

A woman may not fight back for any number of reasons, she may feel it is not safe for her to do so, but this does not mean that if she doesn't fight back it does not mean that the victim is consenting, and rape has still occurred.

Myth:

If a man pays for dinner or a movie, the woman owes him sex so rape has not occurred.

Reality:

A woman doesn't have to do anything in return for a date, especially having sex against her will.

Myth:

When a man becomes sexually aroused they have to have sex or they will literally "explode."

Reality:

Just because a man has an erection it doesn't mean that he has to put it somewhere. Although it may be desirable there are no physical consequences if a man doesn't have sex when he is aroused.

Myth:

Women often lie about being raped to get revenge, for there own benefit or because they changed their mind afterwards.

Reality:

Only 2% of reported rapes are false accusations. Most women will not lie about being raped for any reason.

Myth:

When a woman says "no", she really means "maybe".

Reality:

Although mixed messages can be given, when a woman says no she means no. Never assume that no means anything else but no and if in doubt, ask.

Myth:

If a woman goes to a man's room and "makes out" with him it means that she wants to have sex.

Reality:

Just because a woman goes to a man's room or makes out with him it does not mean that she wants to have sex with him. People can want to "fool around", without wanting to actually have intercourse.

Myth:

If a woman has passed out because of excessive alcohol it is okay to have sex with her.

Reality:

If someone is unconscious they are unable to give you consent and therefore having sex with them would be rape.

Myth:

If the attacker is drunk at the time of the assault then they cannot be accused of rape.

Reality:

The attacker is responsible for their actions no matter how intoxicated they are. Being drunk is not an excuse to force sex on someone against their will.

Myths taken from the Men Against Sexual Assault website (http://sa.rochester.edu/masa/myths.html)

Statistics

Occurrence of Rape

Rape is a serious problem in the United States today. The United States has the highest rape rate among countries which report such statistics. It is 4 times higher than that of Germany, 13 times higher than that of England and 20 times higher than that of Japan.

Above is a chart showing the estimated rape rate per 100,000 people in the United States between 1960 and 1998. The rape rate in the US in 1998 was 34.4 per 100,000 persons. In 1997 there was a decrease of 7% in the overall crime rate, but the rate of rape and sexual assault did not decline at all. (National Crime Victimization Survey, 1997)

Women are 10 times more likely than men to be victims of sexual assault (National Crime Victimization Survey, 1997). A study among college women has shown that 1 out of every 5 college age women report being forced to have sexual intercourse. (1995 National College Health Risk Behavior Survey) 22% of all women say that they have been forced to do sexual things against their will, where only 3% of men admit to ever forcing themselves on a woman. (Laumann, 1994)

Reporting Statistics

Only 16% of rapes and sexual assaults are reported to the police (Rape in America: A Report to the Nation. 1992). In 1995 there were 97,460 rapes reported to law enforcement officials. At a 16% reporting rate, this means that there were actually closer to 649,733 rapes in the United States. Along the same lines, the number of rapes reported in New York state in 1996 was 20,911. At a 16% reporting rate, this means the actual number of rapes was closer to 139,406. (Computerized Criminal History, Feb. 1998)

The rate of false reports of rape is approximately 2 - 3% which is no different than that for other crimes. This is different than the 8% of reports which are unfounded. This means that in 8% of the rape cases reported the investigators or prosecutors deemed that the case was not prosecutable for any number of reasons. Only 2 - 3% of the reports however were fabricated stories.

Victim Characteristics

1 in 3 sexual assault victims are under the age of 12 (Snyder and Sickmund, 1999) and convicted rape and sexual assault offenders report that 2/3 of their victims were under the age of 18. Among victims age 18 - 29, two thirds had a prior relationship with the rapist. (National Crime Victimization Survey, Criminal Victimization, 1996)

18% of women who reported being raped before age 18 said they were also raped after age 18. (Violence Against Women Survey, 1998)

Perpetrator Characteristics

In 1997, 68.3% were perpetrated by someone who new the victim. (Bureau of Justice's National Crime Victimization Survey, 1997) 78% of women raped or physically assaulted since they turned 18 were assaulted by a current or former husband, live-in partner or date. 17% were victimized by an acquaintance, 9% by a relative other than a husband and only 14% were assaulted by a stranger. (National Violence Against Women Survey, 1998)

Assault Characteristics

Rape and sexual assault are not crimes that usually occur in dark alleys or in deserted areas at night. As a matter of fact 6 out of 10 sexual assaults occur in the home of the victim or the home of a friend, neighbor or relative. (Greenfeld, 1997) 43.4% of rapes and sexual assaults occur between the hours of 6PM and midnight Greenfeld, 1997) and about two thirds occur between the hours of 6 PM and 6 AM (Greenfeld, 1997).

Impact of Rape

Rape is a violent crime which has many severe effects on the victim both in the long term and in the short term. For example, 36% women who are injured during a rape require medical attention (National Violence Against Women Survey, Nov.1998). 25 - 45% of rape survivors suffer from non-genital trauma, 19 - 22% suffer from genital trauma, up to 40% obtain STDs and 1 - 5% become pregnant as a result of the rape. There are an estimated 32,000 rape related pregnancies in the United States annually. (Holmes, 1996) Sexual assault survivors' visits to their physicians increase by 18% the year of the assault, 56% the year after and 31% the second year after the assault. (Koss, 1993)

The consequences of rape are not always physical though, and are not always immediate. 80% of rape victims will suffer from chronic physical or psychological conditions over time. (Strategies for the Treatment and Prevention of Sexual Assault. 1995) Rape survivors are also 13 times more likely to attempt suicide than not crime victims and 6 times more likely than victims of other crimes. (Rape in America: A Report to the Nation, 1992) 26% of women with bulimia nervosa were raped at some point in their lives. The mental health costs of sexual assault victims are very high, studies have shown that 25 - 50% of rape and child sexual abuse victims receive some sort of mental health treatment as a result of the victimization. (Miller, 1996)

Overall, rape has the highest annual victim cost of any crime. The annual victim costs are $127 billion (excluding child sex abuse cases). This is followed by assault at $93 billion per year, murder (excluding arson and drunk driving) at $61 billion and child abuse at $56 billion per year. (Miller, 1996)

Conviction and Sentencing

Less than half of those arrested for rape are convicted, 54% of all rape prosecutions end in either dismissal or acquittal. The conviction rate for those arrested for murder is 69% and all other felons is 54%. (The Response to Rape: Detours on the Road to Equal Justice) 21% of convicted rapists are never sentenced to jail or prison time, and 24% receive time in local jail which means that they spend an average of less than 11 months behind bars. (The Response to Rape: Detours on the Road to Equal Justice)

Sources

"1995 National College Health Risk Behavior Survey." Journal American College Health (Sept.1997)

Bureau of Justice Statistics, National Crime Victimization Survey, Criminal Victimization 1996, (November 1997)

Computerized Criminal History, Feb. 1998. NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services, OJSA/Bureau of Statistical Services.

Greenfeld, Lawrence. (1997). Sex Offenses and Offenders: An Analysis of Data on Rape and Sexual Assault. Washington, DC: US Dept of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Holmes, Melissa and Resnick, Heidi A. and Kirkpatrick, Dean G. and Best, Connie L. Rape-related Pregnancy: Estimates and Descriptive Characteristics from a National Sample of Women. 1996. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Vol. 175, 2, pp. 320-325.

Koss, Mary P., The Impact of Crime Victimization on Women's Medical Use. 1993. Journal of Women's Health, 2, 1, pp. 67-72.

Laumann, Edward, et al. "The Social Organization of Sexuality: Sexual Practices in the United States." Chicago: University of Chicago Press: 1994.

Miller, Ted R., Cohen, Mark A. and Wierama, Brian. Victim Costs and Consequences: A New Look. 1996. U. S. Dept. of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, National Institute of Justice.

Natl. Institute of Justice and Centers for Disease Control, Research in Brief, Findings From the National Violence Against Women Survey. (Nov.1998)

Rape in America: A Report to the Nation. 1992. National Victim Center and Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, University of South Carolina, Charleston.

"Sex Offenses and Offenders: An Analysis of Data on Rape and Sexual Assault," 1996. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Washington, D.C.

Strategies for the Treatment and Prevention of Sexual Assault. 1995. American Medical Association. 1995. American Medical Association

The Response to Rape: Detours on the Road to Equal Justice. 1993. U.S. Congress. Report prepared by the Majority Staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Statistics taken from the Men Against Sexual Assault website (http://sa.rochester.edu/masa/stats.html)