Two reports by the U.S. Department of Justice say prison rape can be dramatically reduced by changing attitudes toward those most vulnerable to abuse, and implementing policies and procedures that provide effective victim services.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics reported data on sexual victimization in prisons and jails from October 2008 until December 2009 based on computer-assisted self-interviews of 81,566 inmates, age 18 or older, in 167 state and federal prisons and 286 jails in the United States.
A 2008 survey by the BJS of former prisoners concluded that prison officials could prevent sexual abuse by recognizing common characteristics of inmates who are vulnerable.
Key factors that would help officials implement effective policies:
• Understanding the differences between male and female facilities
• Utilizing professional language in establishing a safe environment
• Recognizing the vulnerability of non-heterosexual inmates and their need for proper treatment, strengthening the integrity of the entire complaint process
• Providing effective victim services
• Equipping staff to respond effectively to inmate sexual victimization
The DOJ’s Review Panel on Prison Rape discovered that an estimated 9.6 percent of former inmates experienced at least one incident of sexual victimization during their last stay in jail, prison, or a post-release community treatment facility. More than three-fourths of the victimization transpired while the inmate was in state prison.
Although the rate of sexual victimization in state prison reported by former inmates (7.5%) was higher than the rate reported by inmates in previous BJS surveys (4.8% in 2008-09), the difference may reflect longer exposure periods (39.4 months and 7.9 months, respectively).
About 3.7 percent of the victims said they were forced or pressured to have nonconsensual sex with another inmate.
About 5.3 percent of former state prisoners reported an incident that involved facility staff. An estimated 1.2 percent of former prisoners reported that they unwillingly had sex or sexual contact with facility staff, and 4.6 percent reported they “willingly” had sex or sexual contact with staff.
Among victims of staff sexual misconduct, 79 percent were males reporting sexual activity with female staff.
The report said female inmates were victimized by other female inmates three times the rate of male inmate-on-inmate victimization.
According to the report, 4.4 percent of prison inmates and 3.1 percent of jail inmates — approximately 88,500 people — experienced sexual victimization within a period of 12 months.
Seventy-two percent of the inmates who were victims of sexual abuse by other inmates said they felt shame or humiliation after getting out of prison, while 56 percent said they felt guilt, according to the BJS report.
National Council on Crime and Delinquency recently launched a web site, for training and technical assistance to eliminate sexual assault in jail, prisons, and other places of confinement for corrections, detention, and law enforcement professionals. www.prearesourcecenter.org
