Sexual Victimization in Sin City

Las Vegas, Nevada sells sex without much discussion of the potential negative consequences to this overtly sexual environment. This paper will look at rates of sexual assault in this self-described adult playground. Criminal justice professionals in Las Vegas acknowledge struggling with elevated rates of sexual victimization. Assault rates were considered through multiple sources of data. Federal data suggests that Las Vegas has high rates for a city of its size, higher than other cities with a similar focus on tourism. Sexual victimization reported at the college level was also higher than seen at other campuses, suggesting that the risk of victimization is city wide. The sex drive of college students in Las Vegas was also examined.