"Approximately 27.5% of college women reported experiences that met the legal criteria for rape," even though some of them were not necessarily aware that the actions to which they were subjected satisfied such a definition (Rape and sexual violence, 2013, NIJ).
According to the FBI, which defines violent crimes as "murder and non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, and aggravated assault," an "estimated 1,246,248 violent crimes occurred nationwide" in 2010 (Rape and sexual violence, 2013, NIJ). There is obviously a great deal of overlap between the characteristics of populations that commit sexual assault and violent criminals, due to this definition. It should also be noted that although persons who commit violent crimes are disproportionately male and young (the example of stereotypes being validated by statistics); whites commit more such crimes -- 54% vs. 45% versus African-Americans. Also, "numbers also vary widely depending on the crime, with blacks responsible for more murders and robberies (55% and 61% of these crimes, respectively) and whites committing more rapes and aggravated assaults (56% and 60%)" (Updegrave 1994). Proportions "also change with location: In the suburbs, whites commit 65% of the crime and blacks only 34%. In the cities, whites hold a thin 50% to 49% edge (Updegrave 1994).
It is also true that the majority of family violent offenders are male, although once again, as with rapes, family-based crimes tend to be underreported. "Among family violence offenders in state prisons in 1997 -- most were male (93%) 6 out of 10...
This is another example of statistical overlap, given that violent criminals and sexual assailants may also be convicted for specifically domestic violations.
References
Bartol, C. & Bartol, a. (2007). Criminal Behavior: A Psychosocial Approach. Prentice Hall.
Family violence statistics. (2002). BJS. Retrieved:
http://bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/fvs02.pdf
Hodgins, S. & Muller-Isberner, R. (Eds.). (2000). Violence, crime, and mentally disordered offenders: Concepts and methods for effective treatment and prevention. New York: John Wiley & Sons
Rape and sexual violence. (2013). National Institute of Justice (NIJ). Retrieved:
http://www.nij.gov/topics/crime/rape-sexual-violence/welcome.htm
Rice, Marnie E.; Harris, Grant T. (1997). The treatment of mentally disordered offenders.
Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 3.1: 126-183.
Section 3: Common Characteristics of Sex Offenders. (n.d.). Center for Sex Offender
Management. Retrieved: http://www.csom.org/train/etiology/3/3_1.htm
Updegrave, Walter. (1994). You are safer than you think. CNN. Retrieved:
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/moneymag_archive/1994/06/01/88911/
Violent crime. (2011). FBI. Retrieved:
http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/ucr/crime-in-the-u.s/2010/crime-in-the-u.s.-2010/violent-crime
