This book is addressed to police administrators, hospital administrators, prosecutors, and citizens involved in community action who are prepared to re-examine their agencies' response to cases of rape. It provides information and analysis to spark such a review and outlines suggestions for coping with problems that commonly hinder change. The discussion is confined to forcible rape of adult women, generally defined as the carnal knowledge of a female through the use of force or threat of force by a male other than her husband. The book is divided into four sections: "The Police Response,""The Response of Medical Facilities,""The Response of Prosecutors' Offices," and the "Response of Citizens' Action Groups." The material presented in each is based upon the findings of national surveys conducted among each of these four groups, with special emphasis placed on agencies that have begun innovative changes in their approach to cases of rape. Each section presents findings from these nationwide surveys and then suggests guidelines for other seeking ways to improve their procedures in such cases. Insights gained from monitoring rape victim projects or innovations underway in six jurisdictions are presented in Appendix V. A basic finding in these studies was that the function of police departments, hospitals, prosecutors, courts, and citizen groups are highly interdependent. (Author)