Sexual Assault in Prison and Beyond: Toward an Understanding of Lifetime Sexual Assault Among Incarcerated Women

Although several studies have examined consensual sexual activity in female correctional institutions, there has been little research conducted on in-prison sexual assault among incarcerated females. The present study examines 436 female inmates in a large Southern prison system and explores demographic characteristics as predictors of sexual victimization. Of the women in the sample, 68.4% reported lifetime sexual victimization, and 17.2% reported in-prison sexual victimization. Consistent with previous research, 3.0% of the entire sample reported being the victim of a completed prison rape. Significant demographic predictors were revealed for lifetime sexual victimization but not for in-prison sexual victimization. Implications for correctional policy based on research findings are discussed.