NCJ Number
83517
Editor(s)
A M Scacco
Date Published
1982
Length
334 pages
Annotation
This work is a collection of articles focusing on sexual victimization of male inmates, particularly black-on-white rapes. Papers addressing the sexual abuse of children, brutalization in the military, and female rape are highlighted.
Abstract
The text also profiles the typical male rape victim in prison (a young white inmate, often slightly built and a first-time offender), depicts adolescent aggression in juvenile institutions, examines the rapist's motives, and looks at correctional guards. The 26 articles assert that rape is a crime of violence and not sexually motivated. Reports of sexual violence abound in almost all institutions; prisons, training schools, and mental hospitals are criticized for their inability to either protect or help their inmates. Although rape is often thought to result from powerful biological sex drives, these articles emphasize that biological drives are channeled, molded, and directed by social structures. Other potential sources of sexual violence emerge in this collection. For example, there are cultural philosophies that legitimize the domination of the strong over the weak. Often, the victimization of others as a means of protecting one's honor is accepted. Racial hostility is another motivation for rape; it legitimizes the homosexual act and serves as a method of reinforcing and asserting masculinity. Notes, references, and an index are provided.