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| NCJ Number:
|
NCJ 195835
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| Title:
|
Female Inmates' Perspectives on Sexual Abuse by Correctional Personnel: An Exploratory Study
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| Journal:
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Women & Criminal Justice Volume:13 Issue:2/3 Dated:2002 Pages:101 to 124
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| Author(s):
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Avery J. Calhoun ; Heather D. Coleman
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| Publisher Url*:
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http://www.HaworthPress.com |
| Publication Date:
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2002 |
| Pages:
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24 |
| Type:
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Studies/research reports |
| Origin:
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United States |
| Language:
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English |
| Annotation:
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This exploratory study examined dimensions of staff-inmate sexual
contact in a correctional facility in Hawaii through two focus
group interviews with imprisoned women. |
| Abstract:
|
All participants in the study were in the main women's facility,
which, at the time of the study, housed approximately 100
inmates. Inmates participated in the group interviews as a result
of recruitment by the primary author, who spent over 40 hours in
the women's prison to develop an understanding of the
correctional context and to build relationships with potential
study participants. All of the women interviewed had been exposed
to prison sexual abuse in various ways. Some had just heard
rumors of sexual assault, some had witnessed it, and fewer had
been victims. There was consensus among participants that
"trading" was the most common form of sexual contact between
correctional personnel and female inmates. This involved inmates
trading sexual contact for privileges that could be supplied by
the correctional officer. The correctional officer typically
determined what the sexual favor would be. Participants described
lust and love as additional reasons for sexual contact between
correctional officers and inmates. Pat and strip searches were
viewed by participants as a major context for sexual
exploitation, because they always involved the potential for
inappropriate officer-inmate contact. Focus group participants
concurred that, regardless of the circumstances, any sexual
contact between inmates and correctional staff was unacceptable.
The women's beliefs about factors that contributed to sexual
abuse of female inmates included job expectations of and power
issues among adult correctional officers, as well as the
consequences of reporting abuse. Given the vulnerability of
female inmates and the power dynamics that typify the prison
context, further research on this problem is warranted. 77
references |
| Main Term(s):
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Corrections policies |
| Index Term(s):
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Sexual behavior ; Inmate staff relations ; Sex offenses ; Inmate attitudes ; Female inmates ; Professional conduct and ethics ; Sexual harassment |
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To cite this abstract, use the following link:
http://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=195835
|
* A link to the full-text document is provided whenever possible. For documents
not available online, a link to the publisher's web site is provided.
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