Statistics Show New Hampshire Remains Safe
By Tia Carioli and Gregory Chisholm
WASHINGTON, Oct. 29, 2002–New Hampshire is the safest state in the country according to FBI statistics released Monday. However there is a glaring exception in the area of sexual assault.
NHPR Correspondent Tia Carioli reports from Washington.
New Hampshire is the 18th worst state in the US in terms of forcible rape. There were 458 reported rapes in 2001.
While these numbers are down from 2000 they are unusually high for a state that ranks as one of the safest in violent crimes.
Some experts believe that the rape numbers reflect the success of state outreach programs and law enforcement training to ensure that these crimes are reported.
Grace Mattern is the Executive Director of the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence:
New Hampshire does do a good job in bringing the different players to the table to collaborate and talk about what’s the best way for us to come together to fully meet the needs of victims.
However, Nicole Tower of the YWCA in Manchester believes that only one quarter of rapes in New Hampshire go reported because she says the judicial system badgers rape victims. This, she says, creates no deterrence to the crime.
For NHPR news, this is Tia Carioli, In Washington.
Broadcast on New Hampshire Public Radio, in New Hampshire.
