All Too Familiar: Sexual Abuse of Women in US State Prisons

This report examines the sexual abuse of female prisoners largely at the hands of male correctional employees at eleven state prisons located in the north, south, east, and west of the United States.

An End to Silence: Prisoners’ Handbook on Identifying and Addressing Sexual Misconduct (pdf)

This report addresses staff sexual misconduct to against all inmates; both female and male. The report explores the ways to identify staff sexual misconduct, effects of sexual conducts to the victims, and the steps to address the issue.

Data Collections for the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (pdf)

This report includes highlights of the legislation and addresses some of the complexities of collecting sensitive data from various correctional populations. The report also contains descriptions of new data collection efforts that BJS is undertaking in order to meet the requirements of the legislation.

Deterring Staff Sexual Abuse of Federal Inmates (pdf)

This report examines the prevalence of the sexual abuse of inmates by correctional staff and also analyzes the laws that exist to deter this type of abuse.

Examining the Characteristics of Male Sexual Assault Targets in a Southern Maximum-Security Prison (pdf)

"This study seeks to examine the demographic and behavioral characteristics of male inmate sexual assault targets in order to expand the current knowledge on this issue and offer information for providing a safe environment for all inmates."

Impunity: Sexual Abuse in Women’s Prisons (pdf)

This article describes sexual abuse of female prisoners in the United States as ubiquitous and legal remedies as wholly inadequate, and emphasizes the racial dimensions of abuses perpetrated against female prisoners, the majority of whom are African-American and/or Latina.

LGBTQ Detainees Chief Targets for Sexual Abuse in Detention (pdf)

"This short fact sheet talks about how sexual abuse of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) inmates constitutes one of the most rampant and ignored human rights violations in the U.S. today."

Meeting the Needs of Prison Rape Victims (pdf)

This guide is intended to support rape crisis counselors and advocates in providing services to victims of prison rape. To that end, the guide includes an overview of the problem of prison rape, outreach strategies, ethical discussions, and things to keep in mind when working in a prison setting.

Mental Health Consequences of Sexual Violence in Detention (pdf)

"This two page fact sheet talks about the devastating consequences of sexual violence in detention and the extreme challenges that survivors may face."

National Prison Rape Elimination Commission Report (pdf)

"This report discusses the National Prison Rape Elimination Commission's nine findings on sexual abuse in correctional facilities as well as policies and practices that must be mandatory in remedying these problems; recommendations address what leaders in government outside the corrections profession can do to support solutions."

No Escape: Male Rape in US Prisons

This report explores the reality of male sexual assault in US prisons. The reports are based on interviews with over 200 prisoners.

Not Part of My Sentence: Violations of Human Rights of Women in Custody

This document, produced as part of the USA campaign, gives details of the human rights abuses suffered by women in custody for breaking criminal laws. These abuses include the use of restaints, poor health provison, sexual abuse by prison staff and the isolation of women held in high security units.

Nowhere to Hide: Retaliation Against Women in Michigan State Prisons

This report is specifically focused on retaliatory behavior that appeared to be connected to women's roles as plaintiffs in class action suits about the sexual assault of women in prison.

Report on Research on Rape and Violence (pdf)

"This report is a compendium of research on issues related to rape, sexual assault, and violence. While efforts have been made to include research from as many sources as possible, it is inevitable that other valuable sources of research may contain information no included in this report."

Sexual Abuse in Detention is a Public Health Issue (pdf)

"This 2 page fact sheet talks about prisoner rape victims being highly vulnerable to contracting HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases."

Sexual Abuse in U.S. Immigration Detention (pdf)

"This brief fact sheet talks about the risk of sexual abuse that immigration detainees face and the difficulty of seeking assistance."

Sexual Victimization in Juvenile Facilities Reported by Youth, 2008-09 (pdf)

"The report provides national-level and facility-level estimates of sexual victimization by type of activity, including youth-on-youth sexual contact, staff sexual misconduct, and level of coercion. It also includes an analysis of the experience of sexual victimization, characteristics of youth most at risk to victimization, where the incidents occur, time of day, characteristics of perpetrators, and nature of the injuries."

Sexual Violence Reported by Correctional Authorities, 2004 (pdf)

This paper includes the results of a first-ever national survey of administrative records on sexual violence in adult and juvenile correctional facilities. Although data are limited to incidents reported to correctional authorities during 2004, the survey provides an understanding of how administrators respond to sexual violence. The survey also collects basic counts of substantiated incidents, characteristics of victims and perpetrators, and sanctions imposed.

The Basics About Sexual Abuse in U.S. Detention (pdf)

"This 2 page fact sheet talks about sexual abuse in prisons and jails across the U.S."

Truths About Sexual Abuse in U.S. Detention Facilities (pdf)

"This 2 page fact sheet talks about sexual violence in detention and how the general public knows so little about the reality of sexual abuse behind bars."

Violence Against Girls in Conflict with the Law

This article documents the particular vulnerability to sexual abuse and rape of girls who come into contact with police and juvenile justice systems in various countries.