Prison rape
Sexual assault of incarcerated individuals, a documented global issue.
Prison rape, also known as jail rape, refers to the sexual assault of individuals while they are incarcerated. The term is commonly used to describe rape of inmates by other inmates and is a significant, if controversial, part of the study of prison sexuality. In the United States, the overwhelming majority of prison rape cases involve men raped by other men, a fact largely attributable to the male-dominated incarcerated population. Sexual contact between inmates and prison staff is illegal regardless of any claim of consent. Public awareness of the issue is relatively recent, and estimates of its prevalence have varied widely. A 1974 work predicted that of 46 million Americans who would eventually be incarcerated, 10 million would be raped. A 2013 US Department of Justice report found that 5.0% of state and federal prisoners and 3.2% of jail inmates reported at least one incident of sexual victimization in the prior year, though advocates dispute these figures due to widespread under-reporting, especially among youths. Historical estimates of lifetime risk during incarceration range from 9% to 20% according to a 1992 Federal Bureau of Prisons estimate, while studies from 1982 and 1996 placed the rate between 12% and 14%. A 1986 study of New York State maximum security prisons found a rate of approximately 23%, whereas a 1994 survey of 101 inmates found only 5 had been sexually assaulted. The Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 was the first US federal law specifically addressing prisoner sexual assault. Internationally, rape is regularly used in prisons across the Middle East, with rampant abuse reported in UAE, Saudi, and Bahraini prisons. In Iran, sexual violence against political prisoners is prevalent and allegedly ignored or facilitated by authorities. Reports to the United Nations indicate rape has been used by Iranian interrogators for decades, with widespread abuse documented following the 2009 presidential election protests, including allegations of mass rape in Kahrizak and Evin prisons. In Turkey, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have reported widespread rape and abuse spanning decades, with Kurdish prisoners specifically targeted. In China, eyewitness accounts from 2021 describe systematic rape of Uyghur women in Xinjiang internment camps, including organized gang rapes and nightly sexual assaults by camp guards and police.
- field
- Prison sexuality and sexual violence
- known_for
- Sexual assault of incarcerated individuals
- US_prevalence_2013
- 5.0% of state and federal prisoners, 3.2% of jail inmates reported sexual victimization in prior 12 months
- US_historical_estimate_1992
- Between 9% and 20% of inmates had been sexually assaulted
- US_historical_estimate_1982_1996
- Between 12% and 14%
- US_New_York_1986
- Approximately 23% in maximum security prisons
- US_first_federal_law
- Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003
Lore & Background
In the United States, prison rape overwhelmingly involves male inmates assaulting other male inmates, a pattern shaped by the fact that the vast majority of incarcerated individuals are men. Sexual contact between staff and inmates is illegal regardless of any claim of consent. Awareness of the issue is relatively recent, and estimates of its frequency have varied considerably. Historical studies from the 1980s and 1990s produced widely differing figures: a 1992 Federal Bureau of Prisons estimate suggested that between 9% and 20% of inmates had experienced sexual assault, while other studies from 1982 and 1996 placed the rate between 12% and 14%. A 1986 study of New York State maximum security prisons found a rate of about 23%, whereas a 1994 survey of 101 inmates reported only 5 had been sexually assaulted. A 2013 U.S. Department of Justice report indicated that 5.0% of state and federal prisoners and 3.2% of jail inmates reported at least one incident of sexual victimization in the prior year, though advocates argue these numbers are low due to under-reporting, especially among incarcerated youths. Internationally, rape is regularly used in prisons across the Middle East, including in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain. In Iran, sexual violence against political prisoners has been documented for decades, with reports alleging that interrogators have used rape and that authorities have ignored or facilitated such abuse. In China, eyewitness accounts from former detainees in Xinjiang internment camps describe systematic rape of Uyghur women, including gang rapes conducted in front of other detainees and nightly removal of women from cells for sexual assault.
Reader's Guide
Prison rape is a documented phenomenon across multiple countries and regions. In the Middle East, rape is regularly used in prisons, with sexual abuse reported in UAE, Saudi, and Bahraini prisons. In Iran, sexual violence against political prisoners is prevalent and allegedly ignored or facilitated by authorities; reports to the United Nations allege rape by interrogators for decades, including during the 1980s after the Iranian Islamic Revolution. Following the 2009 presidential election protests, opposition groups reported mass rape of men, women, and children by the Islamic Revolutionary Guards in prisons such as Kahrizak and Evin. In Turkey, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International have reported widespread rape and abuse of prisoners, with Kurdish prisoners specifically targeted. In China, BBC News reported in February 2021 eyewitness accounts of systematic rape of Uyghur women in Xinjiang internment camps, with former detainees describing gang rapes and sexual abuse during torture. The Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 was the first US federal law specifically addressing sexual assault of prisoners.
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