Prison Sexual Victimization

By Ashley G. Blackburn, PhD, Shannon K. Fowler, PhD, Janet L. Mullings, PhD, and James W. Marquart, PhD

Posted on January 14, 2009 – Thanks largely to the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003, corrections officials and health care professionals are now researching the understudied help-seeking practices related to prison sexual violence. Described here are findings from a self-report study of more than 900 male (n=485) and female (n=427) inmates in a large Southern prison system. Self-administered surveys were used to measure the frequency of in-prison sexual victimization as well as perceptions on help-seeking behaviors.

When asked whether they had experienced lifetime sexual victimization, 68.9% of female inmates and 27.4% of male inmates responded positively, indicating that 46.8% of our entire sample had been sexually victimized at some point during their lifetime. When asked whether they had been sexually victimized while in prison, 14.8% of our sample responded positively (17.3% females; 12.6% males). Of those inmates reporting in-prison sexual victimization, 40 reported a completed sexual assault, 20 reported an attempted sexual assault, 62 reported unwanted touching, 11 reported sexual abuse and 6 did not indicate how they were victimized.

Our research also explored perceptions of help-seeking behaviors among inmates. Six scenarios were provided (three for the men; three for the women), and the inmates were asked to respond to a series of questions after having read each scenario. All three male scenarios described incidents occurring between two inmates, whereas one female scenario described an incident where the perpetrator was a correctional officer.

The first male scenario described an inmate in debt who was threatened with violence and forced to have oral sex with the inmate from which he had borrowed items. For this scenario, 81.2% of the male inmates suggested the victim should be treated for injuries, 90.2% suggested the victim should be tested for sexual transmitted diseases (STDs), and 80.6% suggested the victim speak with a counselor or chaplain. The second male scenario portrayed a physical assault followed by forced oral sex. For this scenario, 88.4% recommended the victim be treated for injuries, 90.0% recommended the victim be tested for STDs, and 81.0% recommended the victim speak with a counselor or chaplain. The last male scenario depicted a debt induced physical assault and forced anal sex. After reading this scenario, 88.8% suggested the victim be treated for injuries, 90.0% suggested he be treated for STDs, and 78.4% suggested the victim speak with a counselor or chaplain.

The first female scenario described a situation in which the victim was coerced and verbally threatened to stay in a sexual relationship with another inmate. For this scenario, 54.1% suggested the victim get treated for injuries, 82.3% suggested the victim be treated for STDs, and 75.9% suggested the victim speak with a unit counselor or chaplain. The second female scenario portrayed a violent physical and sexual assault between two cellmates. For this scenario, 89.2% recommended the victim get treated for injuries, 89.2% recommended the victim be tested for STDs, and 87.4% recommended the victim speak with a counselor or chaplain. Finally, the last female scenario depicted a forced sexual encounter between a male correctional officer and a female inmate who had once had a consensual sexual relationship. Responding to this scenario, 79.8% suggested the victim be treated for injuries, 86.2% suggested the victim be tested for STDs and pregnancy, and 78.0% suggested the victim speak with a counselor or chaplain.

Some limitations to our research should be noted. First, this was a self-report study on a sensitive topic using an inmate sample. Further, because our sample was not randomly selected, we can only generalize our findings back to inmate population from which our sample was drawn.

Even with these limitations, our findings have a few implications for correctional personnel. First, it was found that almost half of our sample reported lifetime sexual victimization, the repercussions of which, both physical and psychological, correctional authorities and health care professionals will be forced to respond. Additionally, inmates’ scenario responses were encouraging in that the majority of respondents recommended help-seeking behaviors for victims. It is interesting, however, that this was less so when respondents perceived the victim carried some responsibility for their victimization (by getting into debt or having a consensual relationship) despite increased violence.

Increased correctional education on and promotion of reporting and help-seeking behaviors is imperative to lessen the stigma associated with such behaviors. As increased attention is paid to correctional facilities across the nation, particularly as relates to in-prison sexual victimization, it will be important for correctional authorities to be aware of the health-related consequences of such victimization so that those consequences are not exacerbated as a victim moves through the correctional system.

Dr. Blackburn is an Assistant Professor, Department of Criminal Justice at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas. Dr. Fowler is with the University of Texas at Arlington, Dr. Mullings is with Sam Houston State University, and Dr. Marquart is with the University of Texas at Dallas.