Official websites use. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. People in prison are exposed to and experience sexual violence inside prisons, further exposing them to communicable diseases and trauma. The consequences of sexual violence follow the individual into the community upon release. This paper estimates the prevalence of sexual victimization within a state prison system.
A total of 6, men and women participated in a survey administered using audio-CASI. Weighted estimates of prevalence were constructed by gender and facility size.
Rates of sexual victimization varied significantly by gender, age, perpetrator, question wording, and facility. Rates of inmate-on-inmate sexual victimization in the previous 6 months were highest for female inmates per 1, , more than four times higher than male rates 43 per 1, Abusive sexual conduct was more likely between inmates and between staff and inmates than nonconsensual sexual acts.
Sexual violence inside prison is an urgent public health issue needing targeted interventions to prevent and ameliorate its health and social consequences, which spatially concentrate in poor inner-city areas where these individuals ultimately return.
Prison is a violent place. One type of violence that is often attributed to prison settings is sexual victimization. Sexual victimization can foment rage, leading to future violence either inside or outside prison, 6 , 7 as well as depression and acts of self violence, such as drug use or suicidal ideation and gestures. Lawsuits by former prisoners who experienced rape and sexual abuse behind bars compelled Human Rights Watch to investigate the issue; they obtained testimony from over prisoners in 37 states and published their findings in a graphic account of the reality of rape in prison.
