In the first chapter, the crime of rape is addressed, including its legal definition as well as the various types of assaults it subsumes. The current information on the incidence and prevalence of rape is summarized. The chapter concludes with a 4-tiered conceptualization of the causes of rape including society-wide supports for rape, institutional influences, dyadic characteristics, and individual determinants. The second chapter covers rape trauma. After an explanation of the ecological model of rape trauma and recovery that is the conceptual foundation of the text, the chapter describes clinical observations of the phases of response to rape. Empirical studies of the impact of rape are then reviewed, and community influences on rape response are addressed. How the community operates as an "ecosystem" is illustrated using the example of date rape on college campuses. The chapter concludes with a discussion of the components of a community-wide response to rape and an assessment tool designed to evaluate a community's service. Other chapters cover the rape crisis center movement and interventions for rape victims. 399 references and a subject index