Reported cases of rape are up in many jurisdictions around the Washington area, some by as much as 59 percent, according to a year-to-year analysis of police crime data.

Prince William County has experienced the most pronounced spike in rapes: In the first three quarters of 2012, there has been a 59 percent increase in forcible rape (54 cases compared with 34 at the same point last year), according to quarterly crime reports.