NCJ Number
42819
Date Published
1977
Length
398 pages
Annotation
THIS STUDY EXPLORES THE EXTENT OF SEXUAL AGGRESSION AMONG MALE PRISONERS IN NEW YORK STATE PRISONS.
Abstract
USING TRANSCRIBED INTERVIEWS AND BACKGROUND DATA FROM PRISON FILES, 107 'TARGETS' OF AGGRESSIVE SEXUAL THREATS AND 45 INMATE 'AGGRESSORS' FROM NEW YORK STATE MALE PRISONS ARE EXAMINED. WHILE SOME TARGETS AND ALL AGGRESSORS WERE LOCATED THROUGH AVAILABILITY SAMPLING, A RANDOM SURVEY WAS ALSO CONDUCTED. THIS SURVEY FOUND THAT 28 PERCENT OF PRISONERS INTERVIEWED HAD BEEN TARGETS OF SEXUAL AGGRESSORS AT LEAST ONCE IN THEIR INSTITUTIONAL CAREER. ONLY ONE INMATE HAD BEEN SEXUALLY ASSAULTED, SUGGESTING THAT PREVALENCE OF PRISON RAPE IS LOW RELATIVE TO OTHER CATEGORIES OF HARM ACCOMPANYING SEXUAL INCIDENTS; INMATES ARE ABUSED PHYSICALLY, ABUSED BY THREATENING OR INSULTING LANGUAGE, OR SUBJECTED TO PROPOSITIONS PERCEIVED BY THEIR TARGETS AS THREATENING. NONVIOLENT OFFENDERS FROM NONURBAN AREAS WHO HAVE SLIGHT WHITE, NON-VIOLENT OFFENDERS FROM NON-URBAN AREAS WHO HAVE SLIGHT BUILDS AND HAVE HIGHER RATES OF MENTAL HEALTH RESIDENCY AND IN-PRISON SUICIDE ATTEMPTS. OTHERWISE, THE CRIMINAL RECORDS AND SOCIAL HISTORIES OF TARGETS RESEMBLE THOSE OF NON-TARGETS. MOST INCIDENTS OCCUR ANYWHERE IN THE INSTITUTIONS WHERE MEN CONGREGATE, AND TAKE PLACE WITHIN THE FIRST 16 WEEKS OF A TARGET'S CONFINEMENT TO STATE PRISON. PRISON STAFF KNOW ABOUT THE VICTIMIZATION PROBLEM AND TAKE DILIGENT MEASURES TO CONTROL IT, VULNERABLE PRISONERS ARE OFTEN OFFERED PROTECTIVE HOUSING, SO LONG AS THIS SOCIAL ECOLOGY PERSISTS, SEXUAL AGGRESSION IN ITS LESS FLAGRANT FORMS WILL CONTINUE BUT PREVALENCE OF PRISON RAPE IS UNLIKELY. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)....BDS