Accorind to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports for 2011, out of a population of just over six million, Missouri reported 1,458 forcible rapes. This gives the state a rape rate of 24.3 per 100,000 people.
Defined
A person commits the crime of forcible rape if such person has sexual intercourse with another person by the use of forcible compulsion. Forcible compulsion includes the use of a substance administered without a victim's knowledge or consent which renders the victim physically or mentally impaired so as to be incapable of making an informed consent to sexual intercourse (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 566.030). A person commits the crime of statutory rape in the first degree if he has sexual intercourse with another person who is less than fourteen years old (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 566.032). A person commits the crime of sexual assault if he has sexual intercourse with another person knowing that he does so without that person's consent. Sexual assault is a Class C felony (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 566.040). A person commits the crime of forcible sodomy if such person has deviate sexual intercourse with another person by the use of forcible compulsion. Forcible compulsion includes the use of a substance administered without a victim's knowledge or consent which renders the victim physically or mentally impaired so as to be incapable of making an informed consent to sexual intercourse (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 566.060).
Time Limitations for Prosecution
According to Mo. Rev. Stat. § 556.036, there is no statute of limitation for forcible rape, attempted forcible rape, forcible sodomy, attempted forcible sodomy, or any Class A felony. If the victim of sexual assault is under 18 at the time of the offense, prosecution must be commenced with 30 years of the date when the victim turns 18. If one of the above mentioned crimes occured against a minor, there is also no statute of limitation (Mo. Rev. Stat. § 556.037).
News
In January of this year, Ramone Winters, 31, was convicted of repeatedly raping and sodomizing a 71-year-old woman in her home. The attack occured back in December of 2011 and Winters is finally behind bars. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole as he is considered a persistent sexual offender. Winters was convicted in 2007 for raping a 77-year-old woman. Below is a video about the story (Vaughn & Collins, 2013). Below is a video of the story.
Media
Rape is but one of the many topics relating to women's sexual rights that is getting more and more attention. The documentary "No!" by Aishah Shahidah Simmons was first released in February of 2006. The documentary features numerous testimonials from rape and incest survivors. A key message of this film is that women can defy victimization. They don't have to sit quietly and take this kind of abuse. Given the first-hand accounts of sexual assault and victimization, I'd say this is an accurate source of information on the subject. Below is a short trailer for the film.
RAINN, the Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network, recently collaborated with the show Bones to increase sexual assault awareness. RAINN representatives worked with the writer of the new episode "The Friend in Need," in order to create an accurate representation of the aftermath wrought by sexual assault. This definitely lends credibility to the accuracy of the show. The episode aired February 18 and even had a sexual assault public service announcement during the show.
Sources
Vaughn, J., & Collins, R. (2013, January 24). Kcmo man convicted of raping 71-year-old woman. Retrieved from http://fox4kc.com/2013/01/24/kcmo-man-convicted-of-raping-71-year-old-woman/
