ABSTRACT
Rape is a violent crime, not a sexual act. Because of people’s attitudes toward the crime of rape, the crisis of rape victims has not received appropriate attention until recently. Feminists and others who have become sensitized to the horrors of this crime are slowly bringing about necessary changes in a legal system that often causes double victimization of the person who has been attacked. The crime of rape is committed against those considered weaker or with less power; women and children are thus the favorite targets, women because they are seen as the “weak gender,” children because they are obviously weaker than adults and are dependent on adults for subsistence and protection. Male prisoners are also very vulnerable to rape (Alexander, 1990).
