UNDERREPORTING CONSTITUTES A MAJOR BARRIER TO OUR KNOWLEDGE OF THE PREVALENCE AND DISTRIBUTION OF RAPE, WITH ESTIMATES THAT BETWEEN 40 AND 50 PERCENT OF FORCIBLE RAPES ARE NOT REPORTED. THE PROBABILITY OF REPORTING SEEMS ENHANCED WHEN THERE IS A GREATER AGE DISPARITY BETWEEN OFFENDER AND VICTIM, WHEN THE VICTIM IS INJURED, WHEN THERE ARE WITNESSES, WHEN THE OFFENSE IS INTERRACIAL, AND WHEN THE OFFENDER IS NOT PREVIOUSLY KNOWN TO THE VICTIM. AS DEFINED BY RESEARCH LITERATURE, THE MAJORITY OF ARRESTED AND CONVICTED RAPISTS TEND TO BE UNDER 30, POORLY EDUCATED, UNSKILLED, AND BLACK, AS ARE THEIR VICTIMS. FEW ARE MENTALLY ILL OR DRUG ABUSERS, AND ONLY A SMALL MINORITY ARE RECIDIVIST SEX OFFENDERS. OFFENDERS WHO RESEMBLE THIS MODEL PORTRAIT ACCOUNT FOR AN ESTIMATED 30 TO 40 PERCENT OF RAPISTS AND DO NOT SUFFER FROM CLINICAL PSYCHIATRIC SYNDROMES PROFIT FROM TRADITIONAL PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT. EFFORTS TO TREAT RAPISTS HAVE BEEN UNSUCCESSFUL. RECENTLY, HOWEVER, IT HAS BEEN RECOGNIZED THAT RAPISTS HAVE PATTERNS OF SEXUAL AROUSAL THAT ARE DIFFERENT FROM NORMAL PATTERNS, AND PROGRAMS TO CHANGE THIS DEVIANT AROUSAL PATTERN ARE IN THE PILOT STAGE. IN ADDITION, SIMULTANEOUS APPLICATION OF BLAME MODELS WOULD SEEM TO PROVIDE AN EFFECTIVE STRATEGY IN BOTH THE PRIMARY AND SECONDARY PREVENTION OF FORCIBLE RAPE. A TABLE AND LIST OF REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (MJW)