NCJ Number
224580
Journal
Prison Journal Volume: 88 Issue: 3 Dated: September 2008 Pages: 351-377
Date Published
September 2008
Length
27 pages
Annotation
Based on an analysis of the demographic characteristics of 436 female inmates in a large southern prison system, this study determined whether these characteristics predicted their sexual victimization in prison.
Abstract
The study determined that demographic predictors were significant for lifetime sexual victimization but not for in-prison sexual victimization. Women inmates who reported lifetime sexual victimization were more likely to be younger, Caucasian, and either homosexual or bisexual than the women who did not report lifetime sexual victimization. These significant differences between women who have been sexually abused and those who have not may assist correctional authorities in identifying women during intake screening who may have needs stemming from past sexual victimization. The prison may be the last and only place where female victims of sexual assault can be assisted in coping with their victimization. The fact that no significant demographic differences were found between women who had and had not been sexually abused while in prison makes it difficult to determine who might be the most vulnerable to in-prison sexual victimization. More research is needed to determine significant relationships between the occurrence of in-prison sexual victimization and variables that may predict such victimization. Out of the 436 women surveyed, 68.4 percent reported lifetime sexual victimization, and 17.2 percent reported in-prison sexual victimization. Consistent with previous research, 3.0 percent of the total sample reported being the victim of a completed prison rape. Simple random sampling and systematic random sampling techniques were used to select female inmates across minimum-, medium-, and maximum-security prisons. 6 tables and 58 references