Incidents of Sexual Violence Increase at U.S. Prisons
Allegations of Sexual Violence |
2005 – Total 6,241 |
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2006 – Total 6,528 |
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There were almost three allegations of sexual violence or misconduct for every 1,000 prisoners held in federal, state and local facilities in the United States , according to the report. In 2004, less than 2.5 allegations per 1,000 inmates were reported.
More than half of the allegations of sexual violence or misconduct involved correctional facility staff, while an estimated 47 percent of alleged incidents occurred between inmates. More than one-third of inmate-on-inmate sexual violence complaints involved nonconsensual sexual acts, such as rape, sodomy and fellatio.
Authorities substantiated more than 960 incidents of sexual violence, 17 percent of allegations in which investigations were completed, according to the report. Authorities were unable to substantiate more than half the allegations, while another 29 percent of allegations were determined not to have occurred.
Of substantiated inmate-on-inmate incidents, more than half involved the use or threat of physical force or harm with the majority of incidents occurring in the victim’s cell or living space. Facility common areas, such as showers or dayrooms, were the site of 17 percent of substantiated incidents.
Less than half of the perpetrators of sexual violence in substantiated inmate-on-inmate incidents were arrested or prosecuted, with those involved placed in solitary confinement in more than 75 percent of the incidents, according to the report.
A significant majority of substantiated incidents of staff sexual misconduct or harassment involved correctional officers, according to the report. Seventy-five percent of the individuals involved in substantiated incidents of staff misconduct were discharged and 56 percent were arrested or prosecuted.
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Across the federal and state correctional systems, 65 percent of victims were male and 58 percent of perpetrators were female, while in local jails, 80 percent of victims were female and 79 percent of perpetrators were male, according to the report.