Report: 90,000 Inmates Sexually Victimized

The government reported Thursday that 4.4 percent of inmates in prison and 3.1 percent of inmates in jail report being victimized sexually by another inmate or staff member.

Those percentages translate to the sexual victimization of 88,500 inmates behind bars nationwide in the previous 12 months, according to a study by the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics in 2008-2009.

The study found that:

Female inmates were more than twice as likely as male inmates to report experiencing sexual victimization by another inmate.

Among inmates who reported victimization by another inmate, 13 percent of male prison inmates and 19 percent of male jail inmates said they were victimized within the first 24 hours after being admitted to a corrections facility. In contrast, the figure for women was 4 percent for prison and jail.

Tens of thousands of rapes are occurring in America's prisons each year and the new study "finds the problem is even worse than we thought," Pat Nolan, vice president of Prison Fellowship, said in a statement.

In a letter earlier this month to Attorney General Eric Holder, a coalition of groups including the American Civil Liberties Union and the Southern Baptist Convention urged that he approve standards designed to eradicate sexual assault in prison. The standards were proposed by the bipartisan Prison Rape Elimination Commission, which was set up by 2003 law designed to end prison rape.

"We are working diligently to implement these standards as soon as possible" and expect to send the proposed rule to the White House Office of Management Budget in the fall, said Justice Department spokeswoman Hannah August.

Under the proposed standards, inmates would be screened for risk of victimization, procedures would be in place to manage inmate predators with prosecution where appropriate and there would be a focus on treatment and care of victims.

"I regret that we will not meet Congress's deadline" of June 2010 for completing work on the regulations, the attorney general wrote in a recent letter to the two key sponsors of the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003. Holder wrote that he believes it is "essential to take the time necessary to craft regulations that will endure."

[xybex2004]

In Starcraft 2, prisoners are shipped off to the Moon and Mars to terraform and build colonies...they'd be too busy working to rape or get raped.

[mecanik-2009]

This number should be ZERO percent. This is a prison. If we can't control the prisoners any better then that we don't have a prison. We have a guest house. There should be separate cells for each prisoner. With no access to other prisoners.

[radicalaggrivation]

I guess most white Americans have no reason to feel sorry for prisoners when you consider that the majority of prisoners are black and latino. I'm sure you don't give a **** that most of these people grow up in poverty, surrounded by gang violence, and either have to participate to stay alive or to make any money. I'm sure white Americans could care less if a white convict can get a job faster than a black man with a clean record. And you wonder why so many minorities commit crimes? If you got a gun charge at 16 because you needed to protect yourself from conditions forced upon you and never got out of the system what would you do for money when you were 25? It's easy to say you wouldn't do this and that when you are never faced with the choice but if it is kill or be killed or if it is steal or starve you would do the same thing. Then you would be the criminal and the prisoner and the convict. This does not even include the shocking amounts of people wrongly convicted in the "justice" system. A system designed to impede black and latino men. But it is easy to demean prisoners. They aren't like you so **** em'. No, **** you. It's easy to be self righteous in your computer chair, typing about **** you don't understand. It's easy to dismiss human beings to the fate that befalls them, which says much more about you than anyone in prison. No one deserves to be forced into sexual acts against their will. I wonder how many victims of rape would agree with me. This typical ignorance is why the world hates or at least does not like Americans. Because most of us are too stupid to take care of our own. That includes our sick, elderly, homeless, veterans, minorities, children, and prisoners. All demographics that we treat like ****. Especially our children and our veterans. If we won't even properly educate our kids and take care of the people who defend our freedoms, then how good is America? And you may not feel responsible for the problem but your ignorant opinion is plenty enough to keep this all going. People like you make me ashamed to be a part of this country.

[AlanW21126p]

The problem is "worse than we thought"? Huh? Come again?

Tell the truth guys: if someone had come up to you a week ago and asked you "What percentage of people get sexually victimed in prison? Is the answer 90%, 70%, 50%, or 4% ?", who among you would have said "4%". ?? I'm guessing less than 5% of men would have got this one right.

Why?

Because, for decades we've all been told that if we get put in prison, we're gonna get raped. It was something we just "knew" would happen.

I would have assumed over 50% would have been the number. I was SHOCKED, like most of you, to hear 4%. Ya gotta be kidding. I wish the odds of dying in major surgery were THAT low.

How about instead we have the headline "24 out of 25 people who go to prison are NOT sexually victimize". Doesnt sound too bad now, does it?

Well, it's the exact same thing. The same math. Just a different spin.

[jd2408]

I do think prisons should be improved. There should be seperation of crimes by category. No TV except educational channels. No internet. Take away the weights and anything that builds muscle. Leave the treadmills. Make educational and vocational classes mandatory. Many changes could be made that don't cost a lot of money but would help the inmates in the long run.

[icebear66]

Let me get this straight. You put sex offenders and thugs together in a locked facility with guards that are a thin line away from the same mentality and you wonder why there are rapes and beatings in prisons and recidivism upon release. Hmmmm doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out. Remember, prisons are just a reflection of society itself because all they are is a revolving door. If the sexual assaults make you nervous think about all the infectious diseases these folks acquire and bring back to society upon release. Now we are talking something news worthy!

[DidHeSayThat]

It is called the penal system for a reason.

I'm not going to cry over this issue. Oh wait... Boo hoo. Take away their gyms and TVs. Give them only great literature to read. Lock the doors and throw away the keys. Turn the air off and feed them bologna sandwiches. For violent offenders, we have become a whiny society. Grow some and grow up.

If you don't want to do the time, don't do the crime.

[run2jazz2]

No man nor woman should be violated sexually even in prison. Prison is supposed to be punishment, a harder life than what they had outside free.

[playa1165]

I don't understand your attempt at logic, are you saying that being sexually violated wouldn't be a punishment? You better believe they're getting real hard on the inside, and they deserve it.

[bingbong22]

??? .......????......whaaaaaat? the only thing harder than what they had outside is bubba, and he is inside!

[bingbong22]

people on this board are for the most part idiots if they think that coddling our prisoners is going to take care of the residivism. These predators are there for a reason, they are criminals. For those of you who talk about rights....they have none. They gave those up when they were convicted.

As far a cruel and unusual goes I think we should look to the courts in other lands, an eye for an eye, I am all for that. Maybe if there wasn't 3 hots and a cot waiting for these guys they would change. Maybe if they had a couple limbs or an eye or better yet their balls gone they would think twice about committing crimes.

For those who speak of rehabilitation....YEAH RIGHT!. There is no supporting evidence to that particular theory. These are the worst of the worst. They are, for the most part, barely literate in the ways of society and have no interest in becoming productive members of said society.

"The real problem here is that we allow a peck order in prison.. not only allow it, promote it. It makes the job easier for the guards" Who is THIS dooshbag, the prisoners outnumber the guards 100 to 1 for the most part. You are G0dAM right they allow some stuff to go on, they want to live to see the next day and see their children grow up.

In conclusion I could give a rats a55 about these guys and their problems. Better yet build the walls higher, throw in weapons and let them fight it out. The guards on the walls can shoot whats left.

[malcarada]

If the prison service treats people like animals then they better make sure those people will never be released because they will behave like animals too.

[berlinfoto-2009]

If Government officials cannot prevent sexual abuse in prison all of it each and every case, then the prisons should be shut down and the inmates released in to society.
Sexual abuse should be considered cruel and unusual.
Our society wants to make this sort of thing usual, and use it as a means of control.
No wonder their are so many recidivist.
The mentality, the soul of America is extremely sick, America is a mentally sick nation.
What ever happened to freedom, each and ever law removes a little freedom form a society.
We are at a fork in the road, the extinction of mankind, or the return to freedom and democracy.
Western Civilization is dying from the secret police parasites, that are sucking the very life blood out of freedom and democracy.
Educated people simply do not make babies in a police state.