Describe the practice of sexual coercion in male prisons. How common is it and who is most likely to be targeted by others? Have any steps been taken to address sexual assault in prison?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Rape and sexual coercion are customary prison behavior. Some inmates will demand regular sexual access in exchange for protection from even more violent rapes and beatings. Younger inmates, gay men, and bisexual men are selected most often to be targets of sexual assaults. Young males may be kept as sexual slaves by older, more aggressive inmates. These weaker inmates are called "punks" and put at the bottom of the inmate sexual hierarchy. Straight inmates are more likely to respect "true" homosexuals because they were gay before entering prison, whereas "punks" are despised because they are weak. It is hard to gain an accurate picture of the frequency and prevalence of sexual assault in prison. From the most recent national survey, an estimated 4 percent of state and federal prison inmates and 3 percent of jail inmates reported experiencing one or more incidents of sexual victimization by another inmate or facility staff in the past 12 months. However, this data must be interpreted with caution because many victims may be reluctant to admit to being raped or fear harassment by other inmates or further retaliation. Some research efforts have indicated that rape is very rare, but others have found that nearly half of all inmates experience some form of sexual coercion. To help correctional administrators better cope with the problem of sexual coercion in prison, Congress enacted the Prison Rape Reduction Act of 2003. This act established three programs: one dedicated to collecting national prison rape statistics, interpreting data and conduction research; one dedicated to the dissemination of information and procedures for combating prison rape; and one to assist in funding state programs.