| The incidence of sexual assault in correctional institutions is a topic that has been considered with great apprehension. Most research has been conducted over the last 25 years and addresses the issue from both inmate and prison staff perspectives. Unfortunately, law and correctional policy is only recently addressing the issue of sexual assault in correctional institutions, and has reached little consensus about the nature and prevalence of the problem.;In addition, there is a paucity of research on how correctional staff view, respond to, and prevent the incidence of inmate-on-inmate sexual assault and victimization in prisons. The research that does address the nature of this problem in state prisons suggests that correctional staff believe that inmate-on-inmate sexual assault is not rare, and between 23-46% believe inmates who have previously consented to sexual acts deserve rape (Eigenberg, 1989). The effects of experiencing sexual assault in correctional institutions are serious, and include fear, anxiety, continued assault, suicide, and depression (Bowker, 1980, 1982; Lockwood, 1980).;The topic has increased salience following the 2003 passage of the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA), which seeks to address the issue of sexual assault in prisons. The purposes of the law are to develop national standards to prevent, detect, and punish prison sexual assault; to increase data on its incidence; and to increase the accountability of prison officials (S. Res. 1435, 2003). It is important to note, however, that efforts at data collection regarding the incidence of sexual assault in prison are focused at a state prison level. To my knowledge, there is no literature that addresses how staff in neglected research realms, specifically jails, identify and manage the problem of inmate-on-inmate sexual assault and victimization. The purpose of this research is to conduct research in this area that has been traditionally ignored by criminologists and sociologists. |
