For the Humanities course Policy, the second action project was to represent data using an infograph. Since I am a feminist, I was interested in studying statistics relating to rape culture. Specifically, the judicial response to cases of rape seemed like powerful information to visualize, because it is startling to see how few rapists ever set foot in prison. This is alarming not only to think of the victims who cannot be protected as a result, but also because of all the additional rapes that will occur due to rapists walking free. Additionally, according to the Rape And Incest National Network (RAINN), even rapists who make it to jail are likely to be serial criminals and return to prison for other crimes shortly after their release. This failed system benefits no one but rapists. Minimizing consequences does not address the issues that must be resolved to reduce rape, and perpetuates the exaggerated belief that rape victims make up the allegations, which in turn causes fewer cases to be reported. This unproductive cycle needs to be resolved.
At the top of this page is the infograph I created using information about the judicial response to rape and the general public’s perception of rape cases. I also posted the infograph on two social media sites, facebook and tumblr– screenshots of my posts are below:
Sources Cited
“Reporting Rates.” Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. RAINN, 2009. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.
“About Offenders.” Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. RAINN, 2009. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.
Chemaly, Soraya. “50 Actual Facts About Rape.” The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 26 Oct. 2012. Web. 30 Apr. 2013.