Democracy Dies in Darkness
Wonkblog

Less than 1% of rapes lead to felony convictions. At least 89% of victims face emotional and physical consequences.

Analysis by
Staff writer|
October 6, 2018 at 7:00 a.m. EDT
Ana Maria Archila, who gained prominence after confronting Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz) in an elevator the previous week, waits to do an interview at the Russell Senate Office Building on Thursday. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

The consequences of sexual assault fall overwhelmingly on the victims.

About 0.7 percent of rapes and attempted rapes end with a felony conviction for the perpetrator, according to an estimate based on the best of the imperfect measures available.

On the other side of the incident, at least 89 percent of victims report some level of distress, including high rates of physical injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety and substance abuse.