Sexual Victimization in Prisons and Jails Reported by Inmates

In a “Sexual Victimization in Prisons and Jails Reported by Inmates” released by the Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) in the Office of Justice Programs the following were underscored:

Among the 463 facilities in the survey, eight male prisons, two female prisons, and six jails were identified as “high rate” facilities based on the prevalence of inmate-on-inmate sexual victimization. Four male prisons, two female prisons, and five jails were identified as “high rate” based on the prevalence rate of staff sexual misconduct. Some high rate prison facilities include Bayview Correction Facility in New York; Fluvanna Correction Center in Virginia; Taycheedah Correction in Wisconsin; Pontiac Correction in Illinois; and Muskegon Correction in Michigan.

Among all prison inmates, the reported use or threat of physical force to engage in sexual activity was generally low. An estimated 1.3 percent of prison inmates reported the use or threat of force during inmate-on-inmate victimization and 1.0 percent during staff sexual misconduct. Among all jail inmates, 1.0 percent reported the use or threat of force during inmate-on-inmate victimization and staff sexual misconduct.

Female prisoners (4.7 percent) were more than twice as likely as male prisoners (1.9 percent) to report experiencing sexual victimization by another prisoner. Jail inmates reported a similar pattern of inmate-on-inmate sexual victimization (3.1 percent for females compared to 1.3 percent for males).

Sexual activity with staff was somewhat more prevalent among incarcerated males. An estimated 2.9 percent of male prisoners and 2.1 percent of male jail inmates reported at least one incident with staff, compared to 2.1 percent of female prisoners and 1.5 percent of female jail inmates.

Among male inmates who reported staff sexual misconduct in prison and jail, about two-thirds reported sexual activity with female staff.

White or multi-racial inmates reported higher rates of inmate-on-inmate sexual victimization in prisons and jails than black inmates. Higher rates were also reported among inmates who had a college degree or more compared to those who had not completed high school, who had a sexual orientation other than heterosexual compared to heterosexuals, and who had experienced a sexual victimization before coming to the facility compared to those who had not.

Rates of reported staff sexual misconduct were higher among black inmates compared to white inmates and higher for inmates ages 20 to 24 compared to those age 25 or older. Also, rates of staff sexual misconduct were higher among inmates with a college degree or more compared to those who had not completed high school, and among inmates who had experienced a sexual victimization before coming to the facility compared to those who had not.

About half of the inmates who reported inmate-on-inmate sexual victimizations reported at least one incident of nonconsensual sex, defined as unwanted oral, anal, or vaginal sex, or manual stimulation. Over half of the inmates who reported staff sexual misconduct said that the sexual contact or activity was willing.

Among victims of inmate-on-inmate sexual victimization, 37 percent of males in jail and 21 percent of males in prison reported being injured. Among females, eight percent in jail and 17 percent in prison reported being injured. For victims of staff sexual misconduct, 17 percent of males in jail and nine percent of males in prison reported they had been injured, compared to eight percent of females in jail and 19 percent of females in prison. The most common injuries were bruises, scratches and cuts.

Source: Justice Department’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)