NCJ Number
210002
Journal
Prison Journal Volume: 85 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2005 Pages: 198-203
Date Published
June 2005
Length
6 pages
Annotation
A total of 226 wardens of State correctional institutions in the United States completed anonymous questionnaires in 2001 that solicited information on the wardens' perceptions of inmates' fear of sexual assault within their institutions.
Abstract
Almost 65 percent of the wardens believed that the fear of sexual assault was low among inmates in their prisons. Only 10.6 percent of the wardens believed that inmate fear of sexual assault was high in their institutions. No warden believed that the inmates within their facilities were "extremely fearful" of sexual assault. Male wardens and wardens with lower education levels were more likely to believe that inmates were fearful of sexual assault. Wardens who managed facilities with a larger number of inmates as well as wardens running all-male facilities were more likely to perceive that inmates' fear of sexual assault was higher. Wardens of higher security-level facilities were also more likely to believe that fear of sexual assault among inmates was higher. Wardens who reported a higher number of recorded inmate sexual assaults were more likely to believe that higher levels of inmate fear of sexual assault existed. Overall, the research indicates that wardens do not believe that sexual assault and inmate concerns about it are a major factor in the daily life of prisons. 2 tables and 4 references